Brooklyn Man Wanted Over Fatal Stabbing Of Girlfriend And Two Kids

Michael Skyes

NYPD / Handout

A man believed to have stabbed and killed his girlfriend and two of her three children remained on the lose in New York City on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Michael Skyes, 23, is wanted in connection to the death of 28-year-old Rebecca Curtis, a one-year-old child, and a five-month-old infant. He is also alleged to have attacked a third child, aged 2, who remains in a critical but stable condition, police said.

Skyes is believed to have been the father of the youngest child, according to officials.

The stabbings happened at the Ramada Inn in Staten Island shortly before 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, police said. The woman and her children were one of 29 homeless families that the city government had put in the hotel because there weren't enough beds at traditional shelters.

Skyes, who resides in a public housing development in Brooklyn, had no previous criminal or psychiatric record. Police said he had argued with Cutler on Tuesday, but provided no details regarding the nature of the altercation.

Surveillance video from a nearby deli showed Skyes having breakfast with his alleged victims around 7:30 a.m., the police said. Video from the hotel showed the family returning to their room around 8:00 a.m.

Skyes, however, did not go into the room until 8:50 a.m., leaving four minutes later. The police believe he probably attacked the family during that time. He then walked out of the hotel, took a bus to the Staten Island Ferry terminal, and disappeared into the city.

Police responded to a 911 call at the hotel around 10:00 a.m. When they entered the room, they found a large kitchen knife, officers said. The four victims had "multiple stab wounds."

Speaking at a press conference, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the rest of the homeless families who were staying at the hotel would be moved to a different location.

“There’s nothing more horrible than the notion of an adult attacking a child,” De Blasio said

De Blasio's administration has faced criticism for not providing enough security at homeless shelters, particularly after one resident decapitated another in a facility in Harlem.

The New York Police Department asked anyone who sees Skyes to call 911, and anyone with information to call (800) 577-TIPS.

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