Aurora – The woman suspected of stabbing her 21-month-old granddaughter to death is due in court today, as investigators continue their work and neighbors wonder what went wrong.
Carol Lynn Pappas, 52, is scheduled for an advisement hearing this morning.
Police spent Sunday at the Aurora house, at one point removing the mattress on which the little girl was found.
Pappas called police about noon Saturday from the home in the 17500 block of East LaSalle Drive to report that her granddaughter had been stabbed several times.
When Pappas finally opened the door, her hands were covered in blood, police said.
The little girl was on a bed in the back bedroom.
Aurora police are not releasing the 911 tape of Pappas’ conversation with dispatchers.
Pappas was living with her son Nicholas Pappas, his wife, Jessica, and another roommate, but those three weren’t home when the toddler was killed.
Aurora police Sgt. Rudy Herrera said there were no plans to arrest the girl’s parents for leaving the child with her grandmother, but he declined to elaborate.
“These poor parents are suffering over the death of their kid,” he said.
The toddler’s name is not being released by the Police Department, Herrera said. The parents requested the name be kept confidential and told police they did not want to speak publicly about the death of their daughter.
Calls made to family members were not returned Sunday.
Pappas is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, and the case against her has been handed over to the Arapahoe County district attorney’s office for review.
Pappas’ criminal history in Colorado is a 1990 theft conviction, according to court records.
Neighbors were grieving and questioning themselves a day after learning of the horrific death. ReNeil Johner placed flowers at the family’s mailbox.
Jim Brown, who lives next door, said Pappas was known to behave erratically, but police would not comment on whether there were mental-health issues involved.
Brown and others regretted that they had not taken time to get to know their neighbors.
“I’m going to have a block party,” Brown said. “Then we will have an idea of what we can do to prevent another tragedy.”
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-820-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
