A Spotsylvania, Virginia, woman was found slain Sunday after one of her children called a family friend, saying their mother was fighting with her boyfriend, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office.
The woman who heard from the child then called 911 shortly before 11:30 a.m. When deputies went to the family's townhouse in the 11000 block of Taney Drive, they found the mother dead from stab wounds to her upper body, according to the sheriff's office.
Authorities have identified the victim as 33-year-old Jordan Diggins.
They said the suspect is Chris Lee-Thompson Stevens, 28, of Spotsylvania.
There was no one else in the home when deputies found Diggins' body, but authorities had been told a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old would be there. As they searched the area, a detective spotted the children with Stevens in the woods behind Courthouse Elementary School off of Courthouse Road, according to the sheriff's office. When the detective approached the suspect, he ran with the children, authorities said.
Detectives found the children in the Crown Grant subdivision after Stevens abandoned them, authorities said. The children were not hurt.
Authorities later found Stevens leaving the woods and getting into a car on Leavells Road, they said. They then took him into custody.
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Diggins recently obtained an emergency protective order to try to keep Stevens away.
Neighbors say police had been called to handle domestic violence disputes at the home on multiple occasions, including on Friday. A spokesman for the sheriff’s office said when they responded Friday night, Stevens had left the area.
Stevens is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of abduction and violation of a protective order.
He is being held without bond. It is unknown if he has an attorney yet.
CORRECTION (Nov. 29, 2021, 11:49 a.m.): An earlier version of this article misstated who had called 911.
