By MAURA GRUNLUND and EDDIE D'ANNA

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A mother is dead and her three children badly hurt in a shocking stabbing at the Ramada Inn in Willowbrook Wednesday morning, according to a law enforcement source with knowledge of the incident.

According to several reports, a child has died in the incident as well. Police have not yet confirmed that account.

Police are hunting for a male suspect who fled. He is believed to be the woman's boyfriend, according to multiple reports.

The three children, young females, were rushed to area hospitals in critical condition, according to NYPD and FDNY spokesmen.

Two of the daughters were babies, and one a little older. The mother is believed to be in her 20s.

NYPD helicopters are flying overhead as they search for the killer, and NYPD K-9 units are aiding in the search, sniffing around the hotel.

EMS responded to the stabbing at the hotel, located at 535 N. Gannon Ave., at 10:11 a.m.

Authorities rushed two of the victims to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton and the other two victims to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze, according to a spokeswoman for the FDNY/EMS.

Police closed North Gannon Avenue near the hotel, creating a backup on the service road past the Staten Island Expressway's Victory Boulevard exit.

Less than a week ago, there was a large FDNY presence at the hotel following a report of carbon monoxide.

The Ramada Inn is one of four hotels on Staten Island where the city houses the homeless temporarily.