April 22, 2025
Local NewsState & National

UPDATE: Fatal stabbing in Greenfield results in murder charge

By STAFF REPORT
Greenfield police officers received a call at approximately 12:45 a.m. Saturday for a stabbing at this home in the 200 block of Northeast Fourth Street. When officers arrived, they located a deceased Hispanic male inside the residence and a second victim who sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Greenfield police officers received a call at approximately 12:45 a.m. Saturday for a stabbing at this home in the 200 block of Northeast Fourth Street. When officers arrived, they located a deceased Hispanic male inside the residence and a second victim who sustained non-life threatening injuries. (ACFP photo by CALEB NELSON)

GREENFIELD — One dead, one injured and one in custody after a stabbing that took place early Saturday morning in Greenfield.

According to a press release from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Greenfield police officers received a call at approximately 12:45 a.m. Saturday for a stabbing at 201 NE 4th St.

When officers arrived, a Hispanic male, identified as Carlos Garcia-Escalona, 57, of Greenfield, was located in the kitchen of the residence suffering from a stab wound to the chest. Garcia-Escalona was being attended to by Adair County medics. After several minutes of working on Garcia-Escalona, he was declared deceased at the scene.

According to a Greenfield Police report, witnesses at the scene said Yudiel Vega-Blanco, 39, of Greenfield, was the person responsible for stabbing two individuals in the residence and directed officers to the location of the knife used. Vega-Blanco was taken into custody on the charges of murder in the first degree and willful injury causing bodily injury, Class A and Class D felonies, respectively.

According to witnesses at the residence, prior to the stabbings, Vega-Blanco had become upset, went into the kitchen and retrieved a knife. A second victim in the residence, identified as Jendys Escalona-Mendoza attempted to take the knife from him and was pushed by Vega-Blanco. As Escalona-Mendoza fell backwards, Vega-Blanco swung the knife at him, causing a non-life threatening laceration to his abdomen.

Garcia-Escalona then approached Vega-Blanco and stabbed in the chest, which proved to be fatal. Other occupants in the residence tackled Vega-Blanco and were able to take the knife from him and hide it. He was restrained by the occupants until law enforcement arrived.

Vega-Blanco was transported to the Adair County Jail and held on $1,000,005 cash-only bond.

The Greenfield Police Department is is being assisted by the Adair County Sheriff’s Office, the Adair County Attorney’s Office and DCI.

Law enforcement believes this to be an isolated incident with no active threat to the community.

This is an ongoing story.

Creston