‘She was lying in a pool of blood’: Domestic violence survivor recovering after attempted murder-suicide

ATLANTA - A 28-year-old woman is in the intensive care unit after a man slashed her neck and then took his own life.

It happened on Sunday night in southeast Atlanta.

The victim’s mom, Kristi Price, was home in Houston when she got a call late at night.

Her daughter, Deja Smith, was fighting for her life after a man slashed her neck.

"Detectives called and let me know that not only was Deja stabbed, but it was an attempted murder-suicide," Price said. "All she remembers is that she was lying in a pool of blood."

Price was on the first flight from Houston to Atlanta.

She found out the man Deja had been seeing for a few months attacked her with a knife, leaving her unconscious.

Price says the man then posted a video to social media with a gun in his hand before shooting and killing himself.

"She remembers a neighbor holding her and telling her just to wait. Just hold on," Price said. "She still didn’t really understand what was going on.

The doctors say where he sliced her neck was centimeters away from killing her.

The attack also dislocated her cheekbone and cracked her jaw.

Police haven’t released the man’s identity.

Smith is a mother to a five-year-old girl and is also a chef and social media influencer.

She moved here from Houston to pursue her culinary dreams.

"We really don’t know what her recovery is going to be," her mom said. "She’s an entrepreneur, and she’s clearly not working in the fourth quarter. It’s the busiest time of the year."

That’s why the family has started an online fundraiser on GoFundMe.

The medical bills and travel expenses are quickly adding up.

But even still, Deja’s mom feels like her daughter’s survival is a Christmas miracle.

"This is the best gift that I could have that my daughter is still with me and her daughter still has her mother,"

On Friday, Price said her daughter was able to walk around for the first time since the incident.

Doctors hope to transition her out of the ICU in the next few days.

Across Georgia, there were 42,000 reported domestic violence incidents in 2021 alone.

Family law experts say there's an increase in reporting this time of year.