Police say Taheerah Ayesha Ahmad, 39, attempted to kill her 11-year-old daughter, kidnapped her 8-year-old and may have held the two and her other daughter, 9, hostage, without food and water, for a week before she was finally arrested after an Amber alert led two women to phone a tip into to police that saved the girl and ended Ahmad’s siege.
Ahmad is in custody and being held without bond.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. An Amber Alert in Tulsa Monday Led to a Frantic Search For Ahmad & Her 8-Year-Old Daughter Who Police Said Was Kidnapped by Her Mother & Was in Imminent Danger
Monday night, May 14, Tulsa police issued an Amber alert for 8-year-old girl in serious danger and in the company of her child’s mother, Taheerah Ahmad. Ahmad was driving a 2005 Black Lexus RX300. Early Tuesday morning, police provided more details and photos for the public to help in the search.
Police also then said that they’d learned Ahmand had stabbed her 11-year-old daughter repeatedly and then attempted to set their house on fire to ensure the child was dead. There was a new urgency to locate Ahmad and her daughter, Hafsa Hayle, also known as having the surname Hussein.
By 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, police had updated the Amber alert, and had issued a new one: “There have been multiple questions about her car. She once drove a red SUV, but that car is no longer in her possession. The Black 2005 Lexus is the most recent vehicle that she owned and was seen in,” Tulsa police said.
“Through the course of forensic interviews it was discovered that she could also be in a Blue Ford Sedan, unfortunately we don’t have any more details about that car,” police said.
An hour later, police issued images of Ahmad with blond hair because, they said, “we believe that this is her current hair color.”
And police also told the public that Ahmad’s 11-year-old daughter was fighting for her life in the hospital.
2. Two Women, One a Mother, Called 911 When They Found Ahmad & Her Daughter in a Tulsa Parking Lot
Police also told the public that if they drove a similar vehicle and were pulled over to please understand and be patient as the search for Ahmad was at a flash-point; police and citizens were now fraught with worry that Hasfa could be, based on what they say Ahmad did to her other child, in imminent deadly danger. The updates were coming at a clip by then.
Then, the news the whole city was waiting for, she’d been located. Shortly after noon, two citizens, Anastasia Brazendeh and Emily Wilson, saw the car and could see Hasfa inside in car, in the front seat seemingly alone until the women got closer to the vehicle and saw Ahmad asleep in the rear seats.
They called 911 and Tulsa Police Officer Jonella Griffith was the first on the scene.
By 12:30, Ahmad was arrested and in police custody and her daughter, with a pink hat and dress, was safe and in the custody of authorities.
Taheerah Ahmad under arrest after two women called 911 saying they’d found Taheerah Ahmad and her daughter.
Police praised the women that called 911.
“Big thanks to Anastasia and Emily for seeing the suspect’s vehicle and calling 911. Emily, a mother herself, had been concerned about the child and noticed a car matching the description …”
“Thanks again for caring enough to take the time to help in this tragic situation,” Tulsa police wrote
3. Police Say Ahmad Stabbed Her Daughter 50 to 70 Times, Struck Her Head With a Pickaxe, & Tried to Burn Down the House to Ensure the Child Was Dead & Fled With Her 8-Year-Old Daughter. Police said Ahmad Claimed She Attacked Her Daughter in ‘Self Defense’
Police and media reports detail what is believed to have occurred in the Mohawk Boulevard house: Ahmad allegedly bound and gagged two of her three daughters Monday night. Hasfa, 8, helped her sister, 9, escape when, police said, Ahmad began attacking and stabbing her oldest daughter, 11. The 9-year-old, police said, contacted family.
“While Ahmad was restraining her daughters, the 11-year-old fought back, which prompted Ahmad to stab the girl an estimated ’50 to 70 times’ and strike her over the head several times with a pick-axe before then trying to set the home on fire,” according to reports.
The report also says Ahmad wanted to burn down the residence to “further ensure that (the 11-year-old) was dead.” The 11-year-old, according to police, had dozens of stab wounds to the torso along with puncture wounds to her legs, neck, hands and face when she was found.
The child was described as in “very serious” condition as of Wednesday morning. Police said she was unconscious and intubated.
It was reported that one of the daughters told investigators that Ahmad had held them all hostage for the past week while withholding food and water from them. The child also said their mother often threatened to stab them if they ever attempted to leave their bedrooms without permission.
Ahmad, in a police report, was described as being “very upset” with the 8-year-old. She also was accused of calling one daughter the devil and expressing hatred for another.
Authorities said her children would be placed in the custody of the Oklahoma state Department of Human Services.
4. Ahmad is Facing Numerous Charges & is Being Held Without Bond
Taheerah Ahmad being brought to jail.
Ahmad, arrested and questioned by Tulsa Police, was handed over to the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office. She was booked into the Tulsa County Jail. Ahmad is facing assault and battery with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, that charge carries no bond. She was also charged with two counts of child abuse, one count of first degree arson. Ahmad claimed her actions against her daughter were done in self-defense, according to reports.
After Ahmad was taken into custody, she reportedly told investigators during interviews that she had become upset “because of the way they were reading and looking at her,” according to a police report.
Ahmad, in a police report, was described as being “very upset” with the 8-year-old. She also was accused of calling one daughter the devil and expressing hatred for another.
5. Who is Taheerah Ayesha Ahmad? She’s Known on Facebook as ‘Kashmir Jackson.’
A Facebook profile page she created using the name Kashmir Jackson features a number of provocative self portraits she has taken, many not appropriate for publication. The photos above and immediately below were posted in March of this year.
Ahmad changed her appearance frequently. Police provided these images of Ahmad to the public via its Facebook post culled from her various social media and other locations where her changes in appearance are noticeable.
Friend Naomi Brown, whose family owns the house Ahmad was living in and, Brown said, was preparing to buy, told local media what has happened is out of character for Ahmad.
“I know Tay, and this isn’t Tay. This just isn’t like her. I never thought in a million years she would do this. She might have been a little bit not all there, I guess. But no sign of drugs.”
Additionally, there are a number of cases in Oklahoma where Ahmad is named in requests for protective orders. In some cases, she’s the alleged perpetrator and in at least one, may be an alleged victim requesting a protective order although it appears it was not issued and one where a minor child is named. The case files are not entirely clear.