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A Shelbyville woman has been charged with murder and attempted murder following the death of her 11-year-old son.

According to Shelbyville Police Department Deputy Chief Brian Crews, just before 10 p.m. on Monday, July 17, the father of the Esteban Sylvester, 11, arrived at the residence on Barksdale Lane and found his son unresponsive. Nearby residents provided assistance to the father and called 911.

Crews said due to do unsuccessful attempts made throughout the night to contact the mother Patricia Sylvester, 32, and Esteban’s 4-year-old brother, Rafael Sylvester, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) issued an Endangered Child Alert. Crews then said both Patricia and Rafael returned to the residence at 8 a.m. the following morning, and were escorted to the Shelbyville Police Department, where Patricia was questioned about the suspicious death of Esteban.

“Without going into the details of this very active investigation, I can tell you that Patricia has admitted to the intentional killing of Esteban and the attempted murder of 4-year-old Rafael,” Crews said during a press conference. “Patricia has been charged by our criminal investigation division with one count of criminal homicide and one count of attempted criminal homicide.”

Once she is released from a local hospital on a mental evaluation, Sylvester will be placed in the custody of the Bedford County Jail on a $2 million bond.

According to the warrant from the Shelbyville Police Department, the mother strangled the eldest son causing his death and tried to strangle Rafael, but stopped when the boy began screaming. She continued to strangle him until he became combative.

Crews added Rafael has been taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. Crews said Patricia will be transported to the Bedford County Jail and will be held for the charges against her. Crews said the father has been cooperative throughout the investigation and don’t believe he, or any other family members, has any involvement in the incident.

Crews added Patricia fled Bedford County and visited Coffee County before returning to the family residence Tuesday morning.

When asked if they have all of their questions answered by her, Crews said they will continue to ask questions until they have all the answers. 

“There will be questions for days, weeks and months about why this happened and our investigators will continue to look into that until we have all the answers,” Crews said.

As for how the homicide happened, Crews said evidence suggested strangulation, but the official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner.

Crews then praised the community and TBI for providing resources and assisting their investigation, as well as the family and friends of Esteban. He added that Bedford County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tammy Garrett is offering grief counselors to friends of Esteban and family members who may need it in the future.