leticia silvaLeticia Silva, a 31-year-old mom who lost custody of her two daughters, allegedly mailed her children a knife and instructed them to kill their paternal grandparents, who have permanent custody of them. The grandmother told law enforcement officials in February that she found a kitchen knife under the pillow of one of the girls. The girls then reportedly told investigators that Silva mailed them a switchblade pocket knife and called them around Christmastime, and asked them to take a knife from the kitchen and to kill their grandparents with it.

A police officer said: "The grandparents have told me that they spoke to the children and ... neither one of them would carry it out." Silva turned herself in on Monday, is being charged with four counts of solicitation to commit murder, and is being held on a $5 million secured bond.

If this is true, I think it's pretty obvious why Silva didn't have custody of her children. It's heartbreaking to think about a mother who loves her kids so much and can't be with them, but when you start mailing knives to them, asking them to kill family members, you kind of lose any and all sympathy. It isn't clear why Silva didn't have custody of her kids in the first place, but if she really did do this, it seems like she wasn't fit to parent her girls.

If found guilty, I doubt Silva has much of a chance of ever getting her children back again -- which may not have otherwise been the case. It's sad, but it's probably what's best for the kids.

What do you think of this?

WNCT | 9 On Your Side Greenville NC


Image via Pitt County Detention Center