The bodies of 21-year-old Deisy Garcia, 2-year-old Daniela Mejia and 1-year-old Yaslin Mejia were discovered in an apartment in the New York borough of Queens last night, police said.
Members of Garcia's nearby church said the young mother and her daughters were from Guatemala.
They were stabbed multiple times in the chest and torso and found in a bedroom, police said. Other members of the household discovered the gruesome scene, they said. Authorities declined to say whether any weapons were recovered.
They said they were surprised when she didn't show up for service yesterday.
Paramedics were called to the apartment located over a pharmacy about 7 pm yesterday.