Greenville, N.C. — A Florida woman surrendered to Pitt County authorities on Monday on charges that she tried to persuade her children to kill her in-laws.

Leticia M. Silva, 31, of Lakeland, Fla., is charged with four counts of first-degree solicitation to commit murder. She was being held in the Pitt County jail under a $5 million secured bond.

Investigators said Silva contacted her children in December and asked them to kill their grandparents. The couple lives in Pitt County and has permanent custody of the children.

The grandparents learned of the alleged plot last month, prompting the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office to investigate. The children revealed that Silva mailed a knife to them, authorities said.