A 26-year-old woman from New York, Karla Espinal, has been taken into custody following the tragic death of her 6-year-old daughter, who was discovered unconscious in a bathtub. Espinal, who has been charged with felony assault and reckless endangerment of a child by the New York City police, has pleaded not guilty. She is currently being held without bail.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of February 7, when emergency services were called to Espinal’s Brooklyn residence, where she lived with the child’s father and their other children. Upon arrival, first responders found the young girl unresponsive, with blood clots visible in her eyes. She was immediately rushed to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
According to The New York Times, the girl’s father, whose identity has not been disclosed, sent a text message to his manager around 4 p.m. on the day of the incident, roughly an hour after his daughter’s death was confirmed. The message, written in Spanish, expressed his despair and confusion, stating, “I’m going crazy. I’m here until God gives a miracle. I don’t know what to do.”
During Espinal’s arraignment, as reported by The New York Post, prosecutors revealed that Espinal had told the police she was “baptizing” her daughter when they discovered the child unconscious in the bathtub. Following her arrest, Espinal was placed on suicide watch and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Sources cited by The New York Post suggest that the child may have been submerged for approximately 20 minutes, a theory supported by the presence of blood clots in her eyes. While the exact cause of death has not been confirmed, an autopsy is scheduled to take place. Depending on the results of the autopsy, Espinal could face additional charges. Her next court appearance is set for February 14.