PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — A Florida woman is facing charges after stabbing a 12-year-old girl at a state nature preserve and attempting to hide her body under brush, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.

Monday afternoon, deputies responded to the Cecil Webb Wildlife Management Area after bystanders found a 12-year-old suffering from knife wounds to her face and neck.

The sheriff's office said the victim needed immediate medical attention, but was able to identify the suspect to deputies as Gwendolyn Girard, 35.

The victim said Girard attacked her with a knife and left her under some brush before fleeing the scene in a van. Investigators did not immediately say whether the child and Girard knew each other.

Girard and the suspect vehicle were later located in North Fort Myers by

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