Investigators said they recovered a knife, gloves and mask after Quadir Ford told police where to find them.
UPPER DARBY, Pa. — Court documents in a Delaware County murder case describe a knife, gloves and mask that police say were recovered after a man admitted stabbing his mother.
The records place Quadir Ford, 20, at the center of the investigation into the death of Michelle Fleming, 51, who was found Monday inside a home on the 4600 block of South State Road. Police said Fleming had been stabbed 12 times in the chest and that Ford later admitted killing her after an argument.
The physical evidence described in the complaint begins behind the same property where Fleming was found. After Ford was arrested, investigators said he told them that a silver knife used in the attack had been placed in a trash can at the rear of the home. He also pointed them to gloves and a mask that police said were used during the homicide. Officers recovered those items, and court documents said the knife still had blood on it. Authorities have not released lab results, DNA findings or any detailed forensic report. The public record so far describes the recovery of the items and the statements police say Ford made after he was in custody.
The case began before investigators knew where the knife was, according to police accounts. Officers were called to the State Road residence Monday afternoon for a report that a woman was in cardiac arrest. When they reached the home, they found a man outside yelling that his mother was dead. Upper Darby Township Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt said officers went inside and saw that Fleming was dead and had multiple stab wounds. Fleming was later described as having 12 stab wounds to the chest. Police have not publicly identified the man who was outside, but reports said investigators learned Fleming had another son, Ford, who was no longer at the residence.
A witness account added more detail to the timeline. The witness told investigators that Fleming and Ford had both been at the home earlier Monday before the witness left for work. When the witness returned shortly after 4 p.m., Fleming was found unresponsive in the kitchen. The witness also found that Fleming’s cellphone and 2013 GMC Arcadia were missing. That information became part of the theft counts later filed against Ford and helped police build a path from the home to Springfield Township. A locator app showed the phone on the 100 block of Baltimore Pike, according to court documents described by local reports.
Police went to that Springfield Township area and saw a vehicle matching Fleming’s GMC on the 700 block of West Sproul Road. Officers stopped it and arrested Ford. The arrest happened away from the homicide scene, but the evidence described in the complaint ties the two locations together through the missing phone, missing vehicle and Ford’s alleged statement. Police said Ford admitted after the stop that he killed Fleming with the silver knife following an argument. Investigators have not released a recording or transcript of that interview. They also have not said what questions were asked before Ford gave the statement described in court documents.
Ford was charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, criminal homicide, possession of an instrument of crime with intent, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property. The possession count refers to the alleged use of a weapon. The theft counts refer to property police said was taken after the stabbing. The murder counts create different legal paths for prosecutors as the case moves through court. A criminal charge is an accusation, and Ford is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. No public report reviewed for this story said whether Ford had entered a plea.
Police statements also describe a strained family relationship. Bernhardt said investigators learned that Ford and Fleming had long-standing conflict. “The two of them were very accusatory toward each other over the course of the years,” Bernhardt said. He said police had prior contact with Ford but had not been called before for a domestic incident involving Ford and Fleming. The complaint does not publicly explain the specific argument that police say happened before the stabbing. It also does not say whether the knife came from inside the home or was brought there.
The evidence known publicly falls into three groups. The first is the scene evidence at the home, including Fleming’s body and the items recovered from the trash can. The second is digital or property evidence, including the missing phone, the locator app and the 2013 GMC Arcadia. The third is testimonial evidence, including the witness’s account and Ford’s alleged admission. Prosecutors often use these categories together in early hearings to show probable cause. In this case, the public reports do not include autopsy details beyond the stab wounds described by police.
The setting of the case is a residential part of Upper Darby Township, in Drexel Hill, west of Philadelphia. The 4600 block of South State Road saw a heavy police presence after the call. Officers blocked part of the street while detectives worked at the home. Early reports said police considered the incident domestic-related and said there was no ongoing danger to the public after the suspect was taken into custody. Neighbors saw crime scene tape and police vehicles on a block that otherwise functions as a local residential corridor.
Ford was held in Delaware County Prison without bail after his arrest. Court records cited in reports listed a preliminary hearing for May 19. At that stage, prosecutors were expected to present enough evidence for a judge to decide whether the charges should proceed. The evidence likely to be central at that stage included the witness account, the tracking of the phone, the vehicle stop, the alleged confession and the recovered knife. No later public report reviewed for this story described the result of the scheduled hearing.
Authorities have not announced additional arrests or said that any suspect remains at large. They have not released more details about Fleming’s final hours, the exact time of the stabbing or the motive beyond the reported argument. The case continues with Ford in custody and the recovered items likely to remain central to the prosecution’s account.
Author note: Last updated May 25, 2026.