NYPD: Staten Island mother stabbed 30+ times; Manhunt continues for suspect

WESTERLEIGH, Staten Island (WABC) -- The manhunt continues for the man police say stabbed the mother of his child and her three daughters in a Staten Island hotel Wednesday morning, killing the woman and two of the girls.

Meanwhile family members Thursday rallied around the only one to survive the quadruple stabbing.

The 2-year-old, aptly named Miracle, is recovering from extensive stab wounds to her abdomen at Richmond University Medical Center.

One cousin said, "Pray for us." "They're taking it hard, really hard," said the victims' uncle, James Mathis. With the suspect still at large, relatives were escorted in and out by NYPD officers.

Police say 26-year-old Rebecca Cutler was stabbed more than 30 times in the back by her 23-year-old boyfriend.

Cutler also had a one-year-old named Ziana who died, along with four-month-old Maiyah.

One family member told Eyewitness News the couple was together all the time, and other residents who lived in the family shelter housed inside of the Ramada Inn on North Gannon Avenue say the same.

Sources told Eyewitness News that police were alerted to the situation by the mother of the suspect, 23-year-old Michael Sykes "Skyes."

Sykes apparently called his mother, told her what happened and said he was going to commit suicide. The mother called police, who found the victims bleeding in the hotel room.

Eyewitness News has exclusive video of Sykes, who police say went on a brutal and senseless killing spree inside the Ramada Inn. The video shows Sykes entering a nearby Staten Island deli just minutes before police said he went on a killing rampage.

In the video, he appears to be going about his normal routine. Just a short time later, investigators said he snapped while visiting Cutler and her three girls inside the Ramada Inn.

"They said somebody was stabbing babies," said Lydia Pabon, a resident.

A maid discovered Cutler, Ziana, and Maiyah inside a room lying motionless with stab wounds. Maiyah was Sykes' daughter.

Here is a photo of Cutler and Sykes, obtained by Eyewitness News:

Miracle, 2, was rushed to a nearby by hospital in critical condition as police quickly locked down a perimeter around the property which also serves as a homeless shelter.

Family members have been at Richmond University Medical Center with Miracle.

"I have a girl and a boy, I can't speak for that I get chills," said Rashon Jones, a resident.

"It's crazy, like you know, it's like unexplainable, like I can't explain myself because this is like a hard situation," said Jesenia Pelaez, a resident.

The NYPD named Sykes, who is from Brooklyn, a person of interest in the case and released these photos of him:

The NYPD said it is watching all of Staten Island's bridges as well as the Staten Island Ferry in a massive manhunt for him.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said police also searched at Sykes' residence, the Howard Houses in Brooklyn. Sykes has no criminal or psychological history that police have found, he said.

Boyce said Sykes and Cutler had an argument Tuesday afternoon, and that Sykes had taken her phone. The murder weapon -- a large, bloodied kitchen knife -- was recovered at the scene, he said.

Boyce said Sykes and the family were together at a delicatessen Wednesday morning before going back to the hotel.

"We continue to pull back video and we find him going into the room at about 8:50 in the morning, he leaves about 4 minutes later and we believe that's when the attack happens," said Boyce.

Keep checking abc7NY for the latest on this developing story.