Mother Kills Sick Teen Daughter In Hospital Bed Over Argument About Color Crayons

A Florida woman has been arrested on Saturday, Aug. 14, for allegedly murdering her sick teen daughter in a hospital bed over a heated argument about colored crayons.

Jessica Bortle, 34, of Bonifay, has been apprehended and charged with the negligent manslaughter of her 14-year-old daughter, Jasmine Singletary, who was being treated for an infection at a hospital in Pensacola.

The young Singletary died suffering "massive injuries" to her ribs and liver after her mother slammed a hospital table into her abdomen and leaned on the table, WKRG-TV reported.

Singletary, who was a “special needs” patient with a neuromuscular disorder, was reportedly taken to Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital due to an infection on July 8. While she was being treated at the facility, Singletary reportedly lost consciousness and stopped breathing.

The hospital staff attended to the child with immediate life-saving measures. However, Singletary did not regain consciousness and succumbed to her fatal injuries on July 13.

When the body was sent for an autopsy, a medical examiner confirmed that Singletary had suffered major rib and liver injuries which were not present when she was initially admitted into the hospital. The examiner also indicated that the injuries were "so severe" that Singletary must have died within minutes after she received the injuries, WBTW reported.

The Pensacola police investigators interviewed Bortle regarding her child's death and determined that the mother had inflicted the injuries which resulted in Singletary's death.

Authorities arrested Bortle on Saturday, Aug. 14, and booked her into the Escambia County Jail on Monday, Aug. 16. Her bond was set at US$500,000. She is scheduled to appear before the court on Aug. 24.

In a similar but unrelated incident, a 57-year-old mother reportedly bashed her son's head with a rock after a heated argument over his alcohol addiction, Latin Times reported.

The victim, Sivakumar, 36, a construction worker, was found dead on Friday, Aug. 13, at his home in Periyankuppam, near Ambur in Tirupattur district of Tamil Nadu, India.

The police officials reportedly found the body lying in a pool of blood. Authorities retrieved the remains and sent them to a medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.

When the victim’s family members were questioned by the investigators, the mother, Rajeshwari, confessed to the killing. Rajeshwari was reportedly upset over her son’s alcohol addiction as he used to allegedly beat her up in front of his wife and children after coming home drunk.

Rajeshwari, who was fed up with her son's tantrums, allegedly grabbed a rock and bashed it against her son's head while he was asleep. She then cleaned the stone and threw it away, according to police officials.

The mother has been arrested and remains in police custody.