Zimbabwean man charged after wife stabbed nearly 30 times and daughter abducted in Missouri

A Zimbabwean man has been charged with multiple felonies in the United States after police alleged he stabbed his wife nearly 30 times before abducting their six-year-old daughter, triggering an AMBER Alert across Missouri.

Munyaradzi Chiturumani, 36, is facing charges of first-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child creating a substantial risk. He is being held on a US$500,000 cash-only bond, with no 10% bond option.

The charges stem from an incident on Wednesday, July 1, in unincorporated St. Louis County.

According to investigators, neighbours called 911 after hearing a woman screaming from a balcony that she was going to die.

When officers arrived, they found Chiturumani’s wife suffering from approximately 30 stab wounds. Despite her injuries, police said she was able to tell officers that Chiturumani had threatened to kill their six-year-old daughter before leaving the scene with the child.

Detectives recovered two bloodstained knives from the home as part of their investigation.

The alleged abduction prompted the Missouri State Highway Patrol to issue an AMBER Alert for the young girl, identifying Chiturumani as her non-custodial father.

Police later located Chiturumani’s abandoned 2017 Ford Edge in Frontenac. The six-year-old was subsequently found safe in St. Louis City, bringing the statewide search to an end.

Authorities later tracked Chiturumani to a motel in Caseyville, Illinois, where he was taken into custody.

Investigators believe he had attempted to take his own life before officers arrived.

His wife was taken to hospital, where police said she was in a stable condition.

Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for the alleged attack.

Court records show Chiturumani has been charged with first-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child creating a substantial risk. A plea hearing has been scheduled for Thursday.

It was not immediately clear whether he had retained legal representation.

A source who spoke to Nehanda Radio said Chiturumani previously lived in Bulawayo before relocating to Rusape for work. He later emigrated to the United States in 2019.