Woman Stabs Girl, 10, to Death, Slashes Colleague, Cops Say

Jealousy may have been motive in death of Las Vegas girl gone missing for a week, family says.

A Las Vegas casino worker is suspected of stabbing to death the 10-year-old daughter of a family friend before slashing a co-worker whom she thought was having a romantic relationship with the friend, authorities say.

Jade Morris, 10, was missing for almost a week before her body was found at an undeveloped housing tract in a North Las Vegas neighborhood. Authorities confirmed her identity Friday and said she died from multiple stab wounds.

Jade was last seen Dec. 21 with family friend Brenda Stokes Wilson, 50, who had taken the girl Christmas shopping. Later that day, Wilson returned the car she was driving to a friend she had borrowed it from. Jade was not with her. That night, Wilson was arrested at the Bellagio hotel-casino where she worked after police say she slashed the face of a co-worker, Joyce Rhone.

After being jailed that night on assault charges, Wilson was questioned about Jade, but she refused to cooperate, authorities said. Now that Jade's body has been recovered, prosecutors expect to additionally bring charges of murder against Wilson, officials said.

"It's no secret the defendant is the suspect in the murder of 10-year-old Jade Morris," prosecutor Robert Daskas told Senior Clark County District Court Judge Joseph Bonaventure at a hearing Friday during which Wilson's bail was set at $600,000.

Jade's father, Philip Morris, of Billings, Mont., had dated Wilson for several years and would stay with her whenever he was in Las Vegas, Jade's grandfather, Philip Tucker, told reporters. No motive has been provided for the girl's slaying. But Tucker said Wilson appeared to believe that Rhone had become romantically involved with Philip Morris. (USA Today)

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