Toddler Fights for Life After Stabbing; Alleged Attacker Previously Deemed Unfit for Trial

A toddler is in critical condition after being stabbed multiple times in the face by a stranger while waiting at a bus stop with her mother in Providence, Rhode Island. The alleged attacker, identified as 46-year-old Nelson Blanco, approached the 2-year-old girl and her mother on Wednesday afternoon as they waited for siblings to disembark from a school bus.

According to Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez, Blanco followed the mother and daughter across the street after initially approaching them and began to insult the mother. He then allegedly attacked the child, who was in a stroller, and also stabbed the mother in the shoulder. Neither victim has been publicly named. Police stated the attack was unprovoked and that Blanco did not know the victims.

The injured toddler was transported to Hasbro Children's Hospital and is reportedly fighting for her life. Her mother was treated for a shoulder stab wound and has since been released from the hospital.

Following the attack, police said Blanco fled the scene and broke into a nearby home before locking himself in the basement. Officers forced entry and arrested him. A knife was recovered from a panel box in the basement.

Blanco has been charged with two counts of assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a deadly weapon, breaking and entering, possession of a knife during a crime of violence, and possession of a knife with a blade longer than three inches. He appeared in Providence District Court on Thursday, where he was ordered to undergo a competency evaluation and a dangerousness assessment. A plea has not yet been entered.

Court records indicate that Blanco has a history of violent incidents. In 2003, he was accused of stabbing two 7-year-old boys in Providence. At that time, he was found incompetent to stand trial. Medical evaluations from 2003 through 2006 described him as paranoid and out of touch with reality. The state's behavioral health agency determined in 2007 that there was no reasonable likelihood of him becoming competent in the foreseeable future.

Further legal proceedings in 2018 involved Blanco being charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, for which he was again found incompetent to stand trial. Doctors had diagnosed him with an intellectual disability disorder and schizophrenia. In 2024, he faced charges for breaking into his sister's home, with a determination of incompetence for trial again made.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha's office confirmed Blanco's repeated findings of incompetence. Blanco was reportedly an inpatient at Eleanor Slater Hospital, Rhode Island's state psychiatric hospital, until an "appropriate alternative placement" was found, though the timeline of his release from the facility is unclear.

Witnesses at the bus stop described a chaotic scene. Jesse Alice Palmer, who was waiting for her own children, told The Boston Globe that she saw the mother screaming and the baby's stroller overturned. She and another woman administered CPR to the child, who had briefly stopped breathing.

Court records also indicate an open domestic violence case against Blanco. His next court appearance is scheduled for October 22.