NATCHEZ — A Natchez woman was taken to a local hospital early Monday morning after she was stabbed in the back while sleeping.

Investigators now believe the unknown attacker was the victim’s 14-year-old daughter.

According to a report at the Natchez Police Department, officers responded to the call on Prentiss Street at 12:35 a.m.

The victim, a 35-year-old female, told investigators she had been in a deep sleep when she awoke with a sharp pain in her back.

The report states that when she saw the blood, the victim jumped up and screamed. She never saw her attacker.

The victim’s daughter told police she entered the bedroom, saw a knife there and picked it up, but dropped the weapon and ran to a neighbor’s house after her mother continued to scream.

Three other children were in the house at the time, but were asleep.

Natchez Police Detective Jerry Ford said investigators were able to later establish the 14-year-old daughter as the primary suspect.

The exact motive for the stabbing was unclear, Ford said, but the mother and daughter had recently had a disagreement.

The juvenile has been taken into custody, Ford said.

“Right now she is being detained at the (Adams County Juvenile Justice Detention Center), and she will have a hearing there,” Ford said. “It will be up to the juvenile system whether they want to either keep (the case) on their level and go through everything on the juvenile level or whether they want to adjudicate it and charge her as an adult.”

The victim was taken to a local hospital and treated, received stitches and has been released, Ford said.