Children’s Doctor Stabbed to Death in Bed as Wounded Wife and Kids Narrowly Escape

Alternative: Doctor as Wife and Two Children Escape Home Attack

Children’s Doctor Killed in Bed as Wounded Wife Sends Kids Running for Help

A Pennsylvania doctor who cared for critically ill children was fatally stabbed during an attack in his bedroom, while his wounded wife urged their two children to escape to a neighbor’s house, authorities said.

Dr. Idris Evans, 46, died after the early-morning attack Thursday, September 24, in Edgewood, just outside Pittsburgh. His wife suffered multiple stab wounds and was hospitalized in critical condition. Their children, ages 8 and 12, escaped without physical injuries.

According to the criminal complaint described by ABC News, Evans’ wife told investigators that the couple had been asleep in their third-floor bedroom when they awoke to a man wearing only underwear attacking them with a kitchen knife.

The couple tried to fight back. During the struggle, she shouted for the children to leave the house and seek help next door. She also managed to reach a neighboring home.

Officers responded to the Linden Avenue property around 12:30 a.m. Both adults were taken to hospitals, where Evans was later pronounced dead.

Police identified the suspect as Elijah Hemingway, 32, of Pittsburgh. A Monroeville police K9 unit located him behind a nearby house with cuts to his hands. He was detained and taken for medical treatment.

Authorities say they believe he entered the family’s home through a rear window. He faces charges including criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary and criminal trespass.

One detail has become a focus of the investigation: Evans’ wife recalled hearing her husband address the attacker as “Elijah.”

That does not establish that the two men knew each other. She told investigators she did not recognize Hemingway, and police said she was unsure whether the attacker had already spoken his own name.

As of Friday, investigators were still working to determine whether there had been any previous connection between the men. Authorities had not announced a motive.

Hemingway gave investigators a different account, claiming Evans had invited him inside and attacked him first. According to the complaint, Hemingway said he took the knife and stabbed both victims.

He also claimed he had been stabbed in the back. Investigators documented injuries to his hands but no corresponding back wound, ABC News reported. His account remains a claim, not an established explanation for the attack.

Evans’ death has also left a loss within Pittsburgh’s medical community.

His University of Pittsburgh faculty profile identifies him as an assistant professor of critical care medicine and co-medical director of the Pediatric Transport Team at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

He completed his pediatric residency there in 2014 and his pediatric critical care fellowship in 2017. His research included pediatric sepsis and the relationship between treatment requirements and hospital survival rates for children with sepsis.

UPMC described Evans as a “dedicated caregiver” and asked that his family’s privacy be respected. WPXI’s local video coverage includes reporting from the neighborhood and the hospital’s statement.

The investigation has also drawn attention to a separate pending burglary case. CNN reported that Hemingway had been arrested in July and released on nonmonetary bail, with a court appearance scheduled for October 1. That date concerns the earlier case, not the killing of Evans.

As of Friday, a police spokesperson told CNN that Hemingway remained hospitalized and had not yet been processed on the new charges. The allegations against him have not been adjudicated.