Woman Rips Out 'Childhood Friend’s' Unborn Baby, Kills Her Three Children She Once 'Babysat'

In one of the most horrifying crimes in the United States, a pregnant Illinois mother and her three young children were killed by her childhood best friend.

Tiffany Hall, then 24, was arrested after authorities uncovered the gruesome death of Jimella Tunstall, 23, who was seven months pregnant at the time.

Post-mortem findings revealed that Tunstall died after her abdomen was cut open with scissors and her unborn baby forcibly removed, a wound that caused her to bleed to death. She dumped her body in an East St. Louis lot.

Her children, whom Hall had previously babysat, were also murdered.

According to the Mirror, Hall initially called police claiming she had delivered a stillborn baby. However, her story quickly unraveled.

At a medical center, Hall refused examination and gave conflicting accounts about the birth of the child. Suspicion deepened during the baby’s funeral when Hall’s boyfriend told authorities she had admitted the child was not his and that she had taken the baby from a friend.

Investigators soon launched an investigation, and Tunstall’s body was found, and Hall was taken into custody.

The horror did not end there.

Hall visited the father of Tunstall's children, who was caring for all the kids at the time. She told him Tunstall had asked her to pick up the children. That was the last time the father saw his children.

Tunstall’s three children — 7-year-old Desmond, 2-year-old Ivan, and 1-year-old Jinella — were reported missing shortly after their mother’s death.

When investigators searched the home, they made a discovery that stunned even seasoned officials: the children’s decomposing bodies had been hidden inside a washing machine and its dryer.

“You wouldn’t think to look there,” a deputy county coroner said, underscoring the unimaginable nature of the crime.

Authorities believe the children were drowned before being hidden, though Hall never formally confessed to their killings.

Family members told investigators that Hall and Tunstall had known each other since kindergarten, often referring to each other as cousins. They allegedly shared a close bond and frequently cared for each other’s children.

Hall had even babysat Tunstall's children in the past.

While a clear motive was never firmly established, investigators said Hall claimed she had suffered a miscarriage and wanted to take her friend’s unborn baby.

Hall was charged with multiple counts of murder, including the intentional homicide of an unborn child.

In 2008, she pleaded guilty to all charges to avoid the death penalty. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

After the hearing, some of Tunstall's relatives said they had forgiven Hall. Sandra Myers, Tunstall's mother, said taking one life would not have been justice for losing the lives of others. "I have to forgive her," she reportedly said.