Mom arrested after daughter dies in bathtub while 'baptizing' her
02/10/2025 1:44 pm PST
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (TCN) -- A 26-year-old woman faces charges after she allegedly held her daughter down in a filled bathtub last week while "baptizing" her.
According to WNBC-TV, on Friday, Feb. 7, at 1:30 p.m., NYPD officers responded to a call near Elton Street and Ridgewood Avenue in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn regarding an unconscious juvenile. Police went to the home and transported the 6-year-old victim to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.
WPIX-TV reports investigators arrested the girl's mom, Karla Espinal, the next day for assault, endangering a child, and reckless endangerment. Espinal reportedly told police she was "baptizing" her daughter in the tub, though the victim's cause of death has not been released yet.
Espinal appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charges. She could face other counts following the medical examiner's autopsy report.
The girl reportedly had blood clots in her eyes when police got there, which could indicate a struggle, according to the New York Times. The victim's father reportedly texted his work manager and said he would not be able to come in because his daughter was killed.
He said in a message to the manager, "I’m going crazy. I’m here until God gives a miracle. I don’t know what to do."
Court records show a judge denied Espinal bail.
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