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Modesto Mom Arrested In Stabbing Of Autistic Son

MODESTO (CBS) ― A mother has been arrested on attempted murder and torture charges after she allegedly stabbed her autistic son multiple times Sunday night in their Modesto apartment.

Modesto Police Sgt. Rick Armanderez said 13-year-old Miles Hankins was severely wounded in the attack on the 2800 block of West Rumble Road just after 6 p.m.

Police say they found Miles in the hallway of the Modesto apartment, covered in blood, his legs tied together with rope, stabbed several times.

The boy's mother, Anitra Hankins, was taken into custody.

"There's cops with their guns drawn talking to the lady upstairs. She was covered in blood," said next-door neighbor Christopher Tooze. "He had stab wounds all over him, (including a) really bloody and a big stab wound in his head."

Neighbors at Ashwood Village Apartments said Anitra always seemed like a kind, devoted mother. They said she had to bathe and feed her son and give him medication daily because of his condition.

She even organized prayer meetings for Miles at the complex before he went through a dozen surgeries in late May.

"I can't give you a number but 50 to 60 people were in that room praying for his recovery, praying for his survival from these supposedly fatal surgeries," said neighbor Chris Leon.

Anitra Hankins was being held in the Stanislaus County Jail on attempted murder and torture charges. Her bail was set at $500,000.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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