Police announced a St. Louis woman was beaten, stomped and stabbed to death by Gregory Smith III, and her house was soaked in gasoline while two children were inside the home

Officers quickly responded to a house in Hazelwood on Sunday after a child notified police that his mother was dead and his father had fled the scene, police said.

Officers found the woman dead inside. The children were taken to a hospital to be examined, police said. Gregory Smith III was taken into custody later Sunday on possible charges of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.