A 16-year-old Florida girl was arrested, on Friday, on a manslaughter charge after placing a pillow over her 3-year-old sister's head to quiet her down – resulting in her death.
Police said a preliminary investigation proved that the teen had placed a pillow over her sister to quiet her down. "She's not breathing. She's unresponsive. Her lips are turning blue," the mother told a 911 dispatcher.
According to police, the younger sister was found unresponsive on Friday at an extended stay hotel in Altamonte Springs while their mother worked in an adjoining bedroom. Altamonte Springs police said officers were called to MainStay Suites on Raymond Avenue for an "unresponsive juvenile." The child was then rushed to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
"The preliminary investigation revealed that the sibling had placed a pillow over her sister to quiet her down," reads the statement. "When she returned to the room, her sister was unresponsive."
The girls' mother works from home, and as stated in the police report, the teen daughter was responsible for watching her sister from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. while their mother worked. The teenager was put in charge of her sister during the day, and the two girls stayed in the living room area of the hotel room.
The teenager told the police that her mother asked her to keep her sister quiet as she was working and still on the phone. The mother said she noticed that the child went silent for about 10 minutes, then suddenly, her teenage daughter walked into the bedroom while carrying her unresponsive sister. Detectives also conducted interviews and police said the probable cause was found. Other details regarding the teenager were not publicly released due to her age.
She appeared before a judge on Tuesday and was ordered to be held in juvenile detention at least until her scheduled arraignment on Aug. 8. Her mother was also in attendance. According to the attorney for the teen, the family is cooperating.
"It's very tragic, it's a 3-year-old, a very young, young child. Sixteen-year-old is also young. A mother loses both daughters in one night because the 16-year-old was arrested that night," Officer Michelle Montalvo from Altamonte Springs police said.
