Mother found lying on top of dead 6-year-old daughter after stabbing her 20 times with kitchen knife, cops say

Inset: April Oliva (Santa Rosa County Jail). Background: Home in the 5000 block of Nowling Drive in Milton, Florida, where she allegedly murdered her 6-year-old daughter (WEAR/YouTube).

A 40-year-old Florida woman stabbed her 6-year-old daughter 20 times before calling her sister to say "something bad happened" and making comments about "evil spirits," cops say.

April Oliva is facing a murder charge for the death of Valerie Oliva, according to a press release from the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office. Deputies responded around midnight Wednesday to a home in the 5000 block of Nowling Drive in Milton in Florida's Panhandle for a report of a stabbing. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, Oliva called her sister "making comments about evil spirits and something bad happened." The sister had her father go to the home to investigate.

He could hear Oliva yelling but couldn't make out what she was saying, the affidavit says. He told investigators that eventually, he entered the home through an unlocked door to the master bedroom and walked into the kitchen where he saw Oliva and her daughter "covered in blood."

"April repeatedly stated, 'she's dead' and he observed Valerie's lifeless body," cops wrote.

The father called 911. When deputies arrived, they allegedly found Oliva lying on top of Valerie's body. There was apparently blood throughout the home, especially in the kitchen where Oliva and Valerie were located.

"It was quickly determined Valerie was deceased and had sustained deep lacerations to her neck exposing tissue and bone," the affidavit stated.

Valerie's body was covered with a "towel-like cloth" and a kitchen rug, per cops. A medical examiner determined she had suffered 20 stab wounds and lacerations.

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Oliva was suffering from apparently self-inflicted lacerations. She was taken to the hospital.

The mother was the only one at the home with her daughter as her husband — Valerie's father — was out of town for work, deputies said.

"This is a deeply tragic case, and our thoughts are with all those affected," the press release stated. "Detectives continue to gather evidence and conduct interviews."

Oliva is at the Santa Rosa County Jail without bond.