Mom arrested in death of baby in Santa Monica

Mom accused of murdering baby in Santa Monica

A mom is accused of murdering her baby in Santa Monica.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Authorities are investigating the death of a baby, believed to be about 15 months old, after the child was found critically injured inside a Santa Monica apartment. The infant’s mother has been taken into custody.

Santa Monica police said officers were alerted shortly before noon after UCLA police detained a woman on campus who made statements indicating she had harmed her child and left the baby inside an apartment in the 2000 block of Broadway.

Police and Santa Monica Fire Department crews rushed to a second-floor unit at the Charlie Apartments, where they found the infant with severe injuries. Firefighters transported the child to a nearby hospital, where the baby was pronounced dead.

Neighbors said they watched in shock as first responders attempted life-saving measures.

"They brought a little boy down—I think it was a little boy—on a gurney," said Fred Moynier, who lives nearby. "A fireman was on top of his chest working him, trying to bring him back to life."

Police, forensic teams and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner were seen focusing their investigation on the apartment. Multiple sources familiar with the investigation told FOX 11 that detectives are examining whether the child’s injuries may have involved a frying pan.

Residents in the area said the incident has shaken the neighborhood.

"I just can’t understand why anybody would be in that state of mind to do something like that," said Sarah Coughlan, who lives nearby. "It’s kind of scary. Very disturbing."

"It’s pretty scary to have this happen in a pretty safe neighborhood," said another resident, Michelle D.

Police said the woman was taken into custody and booked at the Santa Monica Jail. Her identity, along with the child’s, has not been released.

Moynier said he also saw a man he believed was the child’s father being escorted by firefighters into a parking lot.

"He was pretty distraught," Moynier said.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner will determine the official cause and manner of death. Santa Monica police detectives are continuing to investigate and said preliminary information suggests the case is an isolated incident with no ongoing threat to the community.