JONESBORO, Ark. — A Jonesboro woman who survived multiple stab wounds during an October 25 altercation on Belt Street is sharing her account of the attack and expressing gratitude for those who helped save her life.
Kayla Hughes, 28, sustained injuries to her back, buttocks, and abdomen in what she described as a chaotic confrontation involving multiple individuals. “The last thing I said before I stopped talking, I said tell my kids I love them,” Hughes said. “I really thought I wasn’t going home.”
Sydnee Mathis is facing a first-degree battery charge, a Class B felony, in connection with the incident. According to a probable cause affidavit described in earlier coverage by NEA Report, witnesses alleged Hughes was fighting another woman when Mathis produced a knife and stabbed her. Hughes required emergency surgery due to the injuries.
Hughes said the incident began at a bonfire she attended with her in-laws. While she knew Mathis’ name, she said she was not well-acquainted with her. Hughes said there was an ongoing dispute with another woman, whom she accused of having a relationship with her husband. Earlier that day, Hughes said, the woman had taken her infant daughter from someone else’s arms during a visit Hughes described as unwelcome.
She said she had been assured the other woman would not attend the gathering, but when the woman later arrived, a physical altercation ensued. Hughes said Mathis unexpectedly intervened during a confrontation in the kitchen, putting her in a headlock. The fight later moved outside, where Hughes said she felt sharp pain in her back and initially thought someone was kicking her. Only later did she realize she had been stabbed.
After standing up, Hughes claimed Mathis approached her and stabbed her abdomen beneath her left breast with a knife, causing a wound she described as approximately seven inches long. “I said, ‘Oh my God, she stabbed me,’” Hughes recalled.
A police report reviewed in NEA Report’s earlier coverage stated that Officer Jacob Lowry responded to the scene around 1:48 a.m. on Belt Street and found Hughes on the ground with a deep wound stretching from her sternum toward her left ribs. Lowry applied gauze and chest seals to the wound and rode with Hughes in the ambulance to St. Bernards Medical Center.
Hughes described the moments after the stabbing as harrowing, with blurred vision and difficulty breathing. She credited a woman she identified as a nurse, her relatives, and the emergency responders for their quick actions. She said the nurse applied pressure to the wound and maintained a calm demeanor, which helped keep her from panicking.
“Because she didn’t panic, I didn’t panic,” Hughes said. She also praised Officer Lowry for staying by her side throughout the ordeal and the hospital staff for their efforts to save her life.
Hughes is now recovering from her injuries but said the pain and lingering soreness have made it difficult to bond with her 6-month-old daughter. “I’m not even able to bond with my 6-month-old because everything is sore and she might hit the wound,” she said. “Everything hurts.”
Hughes believes the incident was premeditated, alleging that Mathis and the other woman exchanged messages arranging the confrontation. She said she provided this information to police investigators. However, officials have not released details about the ongoing investigation.
On October 28, District Judge David Boling found probable cause in Mathis’ case. Bond was set at $100,000 cash or surety, with GPS monitoring required as a condition of release, according to the court order described by NEA Report. Mathis is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Hughes said she is focused on holding those responsible accountable and remains reflective on how close she came to losing her life. “Life is very short,” Hughes said. “It flashed before my eyes.”