NEW YORK – A mother has been accused of beating her 11-year-old daughter with a mop handle, then leaving the vomiting, bleeding child in bed for days until she died, a law enforcement official said Monday.
Police were called to the Brooklyn apartment early Sunday, and the child, Alejandra Vasquez, was already dead.
It was unclear how long the child had been dead or if she could have been saved had help been called sooner. An autopsy was being performed Monday.
After hours questioning by police, the mother confessed to the beating and said it happened Thursday, according to the law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
She said she hit Alejandra with the mop handle so hard it shattered, telling police she carried out the attack because she hated the girl's father and despised the child, the official said.
Alejandra apparently ran around the apartment and tried to take cover before hiding behind a crib, and after the beating she was placed on the bed where she remained until she died, the official said. Investigators searching the home retrieved a mop handle held together with tape.
Alejandra had come from Mexico about a month ago to her mother's apartment, where her three other children, ages 6, 3 and 1 lived. A 14-year-old child had apparently been removed from the home recently and placed in foster care; the child may have been beaten by the mother, too.
The remaining children were taken to Kings County Hospital for examination, and were believed to be in the custody of child welfare officials.
Authorities said charges were pending and the city's child welfare agency is investigating.
The woman lived in the three-bedroom apartment with her boyfriend and another man who was either a guest or who rented the room.
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