Mother Allegedly Kills Her Infant Girl By Suffocating Baby While Breastfeeding Her

A woman was arrested and charged with homicide after her infant girl suffocated and died when she tried to breastfeed her in San Jose, California.

Officers from the San Jose Police Department reportedly responded to a call about two unconscious 8-month-old twins at a home in the 1400 block of Hurlingham Way, San Jose, California on Nov. 4. When officers arrived at the home, one of the twins was found unconscious and not breathing. Both infants were immediately taken to a hospital for treatment. One of the infants was pronounced dead the next day while undergoing treatment in intensive care, Law & Crime reported.

The infant child that passed away was identified as Melani. Following Melani's death, detectives with the San Jose Police Department's Homicide Unit and members of the Santa Clara County Severe Child Injury and Death (SCID) opened a “comprehensive and thorough” investigation into the circumstances of Melani’s death. During the investigation, the twins' mother, identified as Celina Juarez, 29, experienced an unknown medical emergency and was admitted in the hospital until Nov. 16.

When questioned upon her release from the hospital, Juarez allegedly told officers that her twins lost consciousness when she was trying to breastfeed them. She told the officers that when the child Melani wouldn't "latch on" while she was breastfeeding her, she forcefully pushed Melani against her breast "not allowing her to come up for air."

She told the officers that she continued pushing the infant against her breast for approximately 10 minutes and reportedly admitted that she could see Melani’s “legs kicking” and the baby “gasping for air.” After seeing that the baby was not breathing, she placed her unconscious body on the bed and picked up the second twin, and did the same thing, People reported.

When she was done trying to feed the second child, Juarez then allegedly waited another 20 minutes before walking into the living room and asking her mother for help. Juarez and her mother then attempted chest compressions and CPR on the twins. However, a 911 call for help was only made after Juarez's brother returned home.

Following the baby's death, an autopsy report determined that Melani died “because she hadn’t been breathing for a prolonged period,” resulting in “sustained respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.”

Juarez was arrested and charged with homicide in connection with the incident on Nov. 16. She is also facing one count of child endangerment for allegedly injuring Melani’s twin sister.

She is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 12.