It is hard to wrap your head around the kind of fear that lived inside a home in Cincinnati for nearly four years. For three young children, their own mother was the person they were most afraid of. Prosecutors in Hamilton County recently pulled back the curtain on a nightmare that officials say played out behind closed doors between 2021 and early 2025. At the center of it all is 37-year-old Anjelicia Stewart, who now faces a massive 19-count indictment for the way she allegedly treated her own flesh and blood.
The most bone-chilling moment in the state’s case involves a bathtub and a desperate act of heroism. Authorities say Stewart attempted to drown her children—ages 14, 8, and 2—by holding them under water while shouting terrifying threats at them. During one of these instances, one of the children actually stopped breathing. In a moment that feels more like a movie script than real life, the child had to be revived by a sibling who jumped in and performed CPR. That child literally brought their sibling back to life while their mother was still in the house.
This wasn’t just a one-time explosion of anger. Court records paint a picture of a long, dark road of physical harm that stretched on for years. The children told investigators they lived in constant terror of Stewart. While we still don’t know exactly how the abuse finally came to light, a warrant was issued earlier this month, and police tracked Stewart down and arrested her this week. The neighborhood where they lived, Westwood, is now left reeling as the details of what happened inside that house continue to spill out.
Hamilton County prosecutors aren’t holding back with the charges. Stewart is facing three counts of attempted murder, along with several counts of felonious assault and child endangerment. The legal system is taking the threat seriously, setting her bond at $500,000. For now, she remains behind bars and has been strictly ordered to stay away from her children. She has entered a plea of not guilty, and her defense team will have to answer to the mounting evidence and the harrowing testimony of the kids.
As for the three children, they are finally in a safe place. They are currently staying with family and friends who can provide the stability and care they’ve lacked for so long. The trauma they’ve endured—especially for the sibling who had to perform life-saving measures on a brother or sister—is something no child should ever have to carry. There is a long road of healing ahead for them, but for the first time in years, they don’t have to look over their shoulders.
This case has hit the Cincinnati community hard. People are asking how something this severe could go on for four years without anyone noticing. It’s a stark reminder of the “invisible” victims who suffer in silence. The details of the CPR incident specifically have sparked a lot of conversation online about the bravery of the oldest sibling, who stepped up to be the protector when the person who was supposed to protect them became the primary threat.
As the court case moves forward, the focus remains on getting justice for these three survivors. Anjelicia Stewart will eventually have her day in court to face these 19 counts. Until then, the community is just relieved that the kids are safe and that the cycle of violence in that Westwood home has finally been broken. It’s a heavy story, but the fact that those children are alive today is nothing short of a miracle.
