Man accused of stabbing daughter, leaving her to die in Summerlin

A Las Vegas man was arrested after police said he stabbed his adult daughter in the neck and left her to die in Summerlin, according to a recently released arrest report.

Juan Batista-Garcia, 58, was arrested on July 20 on one count of attempted murder, one count of kidnapping resulting in substantial bodily harm and one count of battery resulting in substantial bodily harm, the report said.

Batista-Garcia’s ex-wife told Las Vegas police that her ex-husband called her around 1:17 a.m. on that date and said he had killed their daughter and was going to kill their son. Batista-Garcia called 911 around 1:25 a.m. and told police that he had just killed his daughter and left her body in the desert near Red Rock Resort, the report said.

Police found Batista-Garcia’s daughter on Charleston Boulevard, just west of Sky Vista Drive, with several cuts to her face and neck and two puncture wounds on her neck, the report said. She was taken to University Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, and doctors said she lost about 10 units of blood but ultimately survived her injuries.

Due to the severity of the injuries, the woman could not speak with police.

When detectives spoke with Batista-Garcia, he said he had taken his daughter to the pool at the M Resort to celebrate her birthday, and then went to visit one of her friends at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center, according to the report. He said he got lost leaving the hospital, took the Charleston Boulevard exit and pulled his truck to the side of a secluded road because he needed to use the restroom.

He said he and his daughter began arguing, and she slapped him in the face two times. Batista-Garcia told police that he got a knife from the glove compartment of his vehicle and stabbed his daughter in the neck twice, pushing the blade all the way to the knife hilt the second time, the report said.

The woman ran away, across Charleston Boulevard. According to the report, Batista-Garcia told police that his truck had a dash camera that may have captured the stabbing, but police did not say whether they had viewed the video.

According to the report, Batista-Garcia told police that he had no remorse for stabbing his daughter, and he had stabbed her with the intention of killing her and hoped she would die in the desert.

When police found Batista-Garcia at his apartment, they located a bloody knife with the woman’s hair on it and a bloody cellphone in the truck, as well as a bloody pair of shoes in the apartment, the report said.

Earlier this week, another father called police to report that he had killed his adult daughter in Summerlin. Police said a man in his 60s called 911 around 9:50 a.m. Monday and said he had shot his daughter, who was in her 20s, inside their apartment on the 2600 block of South Pavilion Center Drive. The man told police he shot her in an act of self-defense, and it was unclear if he would face charges.

On Wednesday, Las Vegas police homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said in a text message that the case would be submitted to the Clark County district attorney’s office “for review pending a self defense determination.”

Authorities have not identified the man or his daughter.

Batista-Garcia is being held at the Clark County Detention Center on $250,000 bail, jail records show. He has a court hearing scheduled for Aug. 25.

Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter.