A mother in Tennessee has been apprehended and charged after reportedly confessing to strangling her 12-year-old son and attempting to do the same to her four-year-old son, according to Shelbyville Police.
The unsettling incident unfolded when the father of Esteban Sylvester, 12, and Rafael Sylvester, 4, discovered his older son unresponsive at their home on Barksdale Lane around 10 pm on Monday, July 17.
At that time, the whereabouts of the boys’ mother, 32-year-old Patricia Sylvester, and their younger son, Rafael, were unknown. Despite the prompt efforts of Bedford County EMS and Shelbyville Fire Rescue to resuscitate Esteban, he was pronounced dead at Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital.
Authorities launched an Endangered Child Alert for Rafael. Patricia returned home after the alert was issued, leading to her subsequent questioning at SPD headquarters.
Deputy Chief Bryan Crews revealed that during the interrogation, Patricia allegedly admitted to the murder of Esteban and the attempted murder of Rafael.
Authorities transported Rafael to a local hospital for further evaluation.
The arrest and news came as a shock to Patricia’s mother and Esteban’s grandmother, Joyce Sylvester, who expressed her profound sorrow and disbelief over the situation.
Patricia has been taken into custody and now faces charges of criminal homicide and attempted criminal homicide. Her bond, set at $2 million, will be addressed upon her release from a local hospital following a mental evaluation.
Esteban, a former student of Heidi Mann at Bedford County Schools, is remembered as a happy and cheerful presence in the classroom.