HARROWING details have been revealed about the gruesome scene where a mother was stabbed to death in front of her children.
Neilyann Ysam’s 4-year-old daughter called 911 and said the heartbreaking words, “My dad killed my mom,” according to police.
S Mate Joseph, 28, being arraigned in Clark County Jail after allegedly killing the mother of his children in Portland, Oregon on July 19, 2025[/caption]
Neilyann Ysam, 24, was found stabbed to death in her aunt’s home[/caption]
The little girl made the desperate call from a house as Ysam, 24, lay bleeding out on the ground on July 19.
She then gave the police the name of her father, S Mate Joseph, according to ABC affiliate KATU.
Joseph, 28, also called the police and told them he stabbed a “loved one” and didn’t know if they were alive, according to the police affidavit.
When officers arrived at the home in Southeast Portland, Oregon, Joseph was nowhere to be found.
Cops discovered Ysam dead, leaving her four children in the house.
There were five children total at the scene, all unharmed, who officers removed from the location, Portland Police said.
The mom and her kids had moved into the house with Ysam’s aunt after fleeing alleged violence in the home they shared with Joseph in Vancouver, Washington, the aunt told police.
Days later, Joseph was arrested in Vancouver, which is about 17 miles north of Portland.
Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Brian Davidson, who oversees the homicide unit, told KATU that what the children saw was harrowing.
“I’ve been doing this quite a while. I have had cases like that before, but they’re pretty rare,” Davidson told the outlet.
“It’s again a horrific thing for a child to witness any act of violence and certainly one of this order of magnitude, you just can’t, again, overstate how terrible that is.”
Police said all of the children are under the age of six, including a baby.
DISTURBING HISTORY
The tragedy comes years after Joseph previously confessed to attacking Ysam in a parking lot while she was pregnant in 2019.
Police reports said Ysam was “barefoot, screaming, crying and attempting to get away” from Joseph, KATU reported at the time.
TImeline of S Mate Joseph’s Criminal History
Below is a timeline of the horrifying events leading up the murder of 24-year-old Neilyann Ysam:
February 2019: S Mate Joseph was arrested for assaulting Neilyann Ysam, who was pregnant at the time. He pleaded guilty. Cops responding to the assault shot Joseph’s younger brother to death after he approached police with a knife. Cops were cleared of wrongdoing.
March 2020: Joseph was found in a car with Ysam, violating the no-contact order from the judge for his previous attack on Ysam.
2025: Ysam and her four children moved to her aunt’s house in Southeastern Portland, Oregon, to hide from Joseph.
12:32 pm on July 19, 2025: Officers with the Portland Police Department were dispatched to a home after Ysam’s 4-year-old daughter called 911 and said, “My dad killed my mom.” Cops found Ysam stabbed to death in the home with five children. Joseph wasn’t at the scene.
3:50 pm on July 19, 2025: Joseph was arrested in Vancouver, Washington, and booked into the Clark County Jail.
August 28, 2025: Joseph pleaded not guilty in the case after he was extradited from Clark County to Multnomah County.
The next year, Joseph was found in a car with Ysam and cited for violating the no-contact order the judge had issued.
Joseph has now been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, and unlawful use of a weapon, Portland Police said.
On Thursday, he entered a not guilty plea after he was extradited from Clark County to Multnomah County, where he also has pending DUI charges, KATU reported.
HEARTBROKEN NEIGHBORS
Neighbor Annalee Dickinson was left in shock from the tragedy, she told Fox affiliate KPTV.
“It just feels like time kind of stopped over there,” Dickinson told the outlet.
“It’s like everything around is moving like the house, the fans are moving, and TVs and lights are on, but it’s so sad to think it’s just nothing now.”
She added, “It’s just terrifying to know that they had to witness something like that.
“They have to live with that for the rest of their lives. It’s not something they can unsee, unlearn, or be told a story about.”
Neighbour Teai Nguyen said, “I just hope that the family recovers from the trauma, but I hope the kids get better.”
It’s like everything around is moving like the house, the fans are moving, and TVs and lights are on, but it’s so sad to think it’s just nothing now.”
Neighbor Annalee Dickson
Davidson said the first few weeks after a victim flees their abuser are the most dangerous, which is what happened to Ysam, who fled from Joseph, her alleged abuser.
According to the Office for Victims of Crime, women who leave their abuser face a 75% greater risk of being killed by that person. 70% of domestic violence murders occur after they separate.
Davidson encouraged the community to support victims of abuse and also told victims that police are there to help.
“To any victim of domestic violence out there, don’t be afraid, we’re here, law enforcement’s here to help,” Davidson said.
“There’s an entire community of victim advocates who are there to give you help, and we’re here for you.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at thehotline.org.
