It was a normal pool day for Ms. H and two of her children. The mother, dressed in a hijab and modest swimming wear, was with her six-year-old son and three-year-old daughter at the pool in their complex when they were approached by a woman, Elizabeth Wolf, back in May.
Wolf, 42, who was allegedly intoxicated, “interrogated [the] mother about her country of origin and her speaking to her children in a foreign language,” according to a news release from the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
When Mrs. H, 32, who wishes to remain anonymous, responded, Wolf allegedly tried to grab H’s son, leaving him with a scratch on his hand. The boy was able to get away from Wolf, but that’s when the attacker allegedly grabbed H’s three-year-old daughter and held her head under water, reported CNN.
The original news release also stated “the alleged attacker snatched off the mother’s head scarf and used it to beat the mother as well as kicking her to keep her away while forcing her daughter’s head underwater.”
Mrs. H was able to save her daughter with the help of a by stander. It is reported that the victim “had been yelling for help and was coughing up water.”
When Euless, Texas police arrived to the scene, Wolf allegedly tried to flee but was apprehended and arrested.
Several eye witnesses say Wolf made racist comments towards the visibly Muslim family including one about not being American. As she was being arrested, Wolf said to a by stander “Tell her I will kill her, and I will kill her whole family.”
Wolf has been charged with attempted capital murder and injury to a child. She was initially released after posting bond totaling $40,000, according to the Fort Worth Star- Telegram.
After recent review on the case, however, Wolf’s bond was increased to over $1 million, citing the original as “insufficient for the charged offense, the aggravating factors and the need to protect the public.” Jail records indicate Wolf was arrested again on June 27 and remains in jail.
“We are American citizens, originally from Palestine, and I don’t know where to go to feel safe with my kids,” said Mrs. H. “My country is facing a war, and we are facing that hate here.” Mrs. H says her daughter is “traumatized” and fears “the lady will come and immerse her head in the water again.”
CAIR has called for federal and state law enforcement to investigate this incident as a hate crime. In January, a CAIR civil rights report revealed 3,578 hate-related complaints occurring in the last 3 months of 2023. This 178 percent increase from the year before comes in light of the ongoing Israel-Hamas War in the Middle East.
According to Reuters, over 35,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war begun in October 2023.