NEW ORLEANS – The 18-month old child of a Baton Rouge city government employee was killed by the other parent, media outlets in New Orleans reported Tuesday morning.

Police said a 45-year-old man confessed to stabbing and suffocating his child overnight after a message from God. The killing happened in the Bywater area of New Orleans – an area between the city's Lower 9th Ward and the French Quarter. The man was identified as Mark Hambrick.

The New Orleans Advocate reported property records show the home is owned by his wife, Monika Gerhart-Hambrick, who is the East Baton Rouge Urban Development Director. 

Payroll records also show that Mark Hambrick had worked for the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board.

Police said Mark Hambrick was alone with the child as the mother worked “out of town,” according to the newspaper. 

"It's a gruesome scene. It's tragic," New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison told WWL TV, a news partner with WBRZ in New Orleans. "A mother has lost a baby and has now lost a husband,” he said.

"This is extremely tragic,"  Harrison said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with this mother and the rest of the family."

Mark Hambrick was arrested and charged with one count of second degree homicide and one count of second degree cruelty to a juvenile.

Monika Gerhart-Hambrick's boss, the mayor of Baton Rouge, released a statement later in the day: "... [Monika] has our thoughts, prayers and support. This is a horrible tragedy. No parent should ever have to lose a child, especially in such a violent way. We are here for Monika and her family for whatever they need."

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