WICHITA, KS – A local television personality is in custody after her elderly mother was found stabbed to death in her bed early Tuesday morning, in a case that has shocked the tight-knit broadcasting community and left neighbors struggling to understand what happened.
Angelynn Mock, who works as a morning news anchor at a Wichita television station, was detained by police shortly after 8 a.m. when officers responded to a frantic 911 call about a stabbing in a quiet south Wichita neighborhood. Her mother, 81-year-old Anita Avers, was found unresponsive with multiple stab wounds.
The deadly confrontation unfolded just after 7:40 a.m. when a woman covered in blood approached a couple in the neighborhood, asking to borrow their phone to call for help. Alyssa Castro and her boyfriend immediately contacted emergency services, though the exact nature of the emergency wasn’t immediately clear.
Wichita police officers arrived at the residence at 7:52 a.m., where they made the grim discovery. Avers lay in her bedroom, suffering from what investigators later described as numerous stab wounds inflicted during a violent struggle. Paramedics attempted life-saving measures but were unable to revive her.
Mock was found at the scene with visible cuts on her hands and blood covering her clothing. When questioned by responding officers, she made statements claiming she’d acted in self-defense and was “trying to save herself from her mother,” according to police reports filed with the court.
Both women were initially transported to a local hospital, where Avers was pronounced dead. Mock received treatment for her hand injuries, which investigators believe were sustained during the attack. She remained under police guard while doctors tended to her wounds.
The television anchor has worked in Wichita broadcasting for several years, earning recognition for her on-air presence during morning newscasts. Colleagues expressed disbelief at the news, describing her as professional and dedicated to her work.
Detectives spent hours processing the crime scene, collecting evidence from the bedroom where the fatal stabbing occurred. Investigators have not disclosed what may have triggered the confrontation between mother and daughter or whether there was any history of domestic violence at the residence.
Neighbors told investigators they’d never witnessed any disturbances at the home and were stunned to learn what had transpired. The quiet residential street where Avers lived had rarely seen any police activity before Tuesday’s deadly incident.
Mock is expected to face formal charges in the coming days, pending the completion of the police investigation and a review by prosecutors. She is currently being held at the Sedgwick County Jail while authorities gather additional evidence and interview witnesses.
