Michigan – In a deeply unsettling case in Michigan, an 83-year-old man, identified as D. Ong, died after a 35-year-old woman, identified as S. Booth, who was hired to babysit his 3-year-old granddaughter, stabbed him multiple times with a screwdriver in the basement when he went to check on his granddaughter’s well-being. Booth has been charged with first-degree murder and multiple related offenses in the death of Ong.
In addition to the first-degree murder charge stemming from the bizarre and violent assault, Booth is also facing one count of second‑degree child abuse, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, and three counts of resisting or obstructing police. Her arrest followed an investigation by the police department that uncovered that the babysitter used a screwdriver to stab the elderly man repeatedly in the basement of the home at a time when the child she was babysitting was also on‑site.
The horror of the incident began on the evening of October 24, when Ong’s daughter contacted him and asked him to check on his granddaughter because he was out of town and the babysitter, Booth, was in charge. According to reports, he arrived at the house but didn’t immediately call his daughter. Ong’s daughter grew even more concerned when her father did not return calls and then asked her brother‑in‑law to go to the home and inspect the welfare of both the child and her father. What the family and law enforcement say unfolded next would shock the community.
The girl’s uncle, responding at about 9:25 p.m., entered the home through an open front door and heard “noises coming from the basement.” When he descended, he found a scene of chaos: Booth reportedly was “in a manic state covered in blood,” acting erratically, Ong was gravely injured on the basement floor, and the child was in immediate danger. As the uncle attempted to carry his niece to safety and call for help, Booth allegedly continued to pursue them, armed with the screwdriver. They fled to a neighbor’s house and called 911 at about 9:30 p.m. Inside the home, officers later found evidence of a violent and sustained struggle. The child’s uncle described how Booth dropped the screwdriver, stripped off her clothes, and then attempted to flee. He and the child were treated for minor injuries and released. Ong was transported to a hospital but later succumbed to his wounds.
During the arraignment proceedings, it was reported that Booth refused initially to appear via video, remaining “lying on the floor at the moment, in the middle of the cell, with no clothes on.” A judge ordered her held without bond, citing the severity of the charges and risk to public safety. The child abuse charge stems from the fact that the 3‑year‑old was present during the violent event and, according to prosecutors, witnessed the chaos. Assault with a dangerous weapon refers to the attack on the uncle by Booth as he carried the child to safety. Resisting or obstructing police charges was added following her bizarre behavior while being taken into custody.
This case is especially chilling because someone entrusted with the care of a young child allegedly turned violent against a senior family member who was simply checking in on his granddaughter. As of now, no trial date has been announced. Booth remains in custody and is being held without bail. Prosecutors are continuing to investigate the full scope of the attack—including how long it may have been planned, what prompted it, and whether the child was harmed in any additional ways. Because Booth had no prior criminal record, the case has drawn attention to issues of trust, screening, and oversight of childcare providers.
While the judicial resolution is still pending, this case underscores the worst fears of parents and guardians—the sudden, inexplicable violence by a person trusted to protect their child. For the family, community, and investigators, the question is no longer if justice will be served, but when. And for the child who was in the home that night, the legacy of that evening will be one of broken trust, fractured safety, and a lifetime of coping with the memory of a night that should never have happened.
