A diaper and small white baby blanket remained on the ground outside a Bronx apartment building Tuesday, grim reminders of the horrifying fall that killed a 23-year-old mother and left her 5-month-old daughter fighting for her life.
Police rushed to 2550 Olinville Ave. in the Allerton section of the Bronx at about 3:38 a.m. on Oct. 6 after receiving reports of two people badly injured outside the residential high-rise.
Officers found the young woman and baby girl with injuries consistent with a fall from an elevated position.
Both were taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. The mother was pronounced dead, while the infant remained hospitalized in critical condition hours later.
Investigators were still working Tuesday to determine exactly what happened in the moments before the pair plunged from the building.
Photos taken outside the apartment complex showed police tape surrounding the area and officers examining balconies high above the street. A diaper, baby clothing and a white blanket could be seen on the ground near the scene.
Witness accounts have raised disturbing questions about whether the mother and child were pushed.
One neighbor told local reporters she heard a woman screaming shortly before the fall.
“Please don’t do this,” the witness recalled hearing.
Another witness described hearing the woman frantically pleading about her frightened baby shortly before hearing a scream and seeing something fall toward the ground.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed that anyone deliberately pushed the mother or child, however, and investigators were still considering several possibilities Tuesday.
Police sources told local media that detectives wanted to speak with the woman’s ex-boyfriend as part of the investigation. The man had not been publicly identified, and authorities had not accused him of a crime.
Other reporting citing police sources indicated investigators were looking into a possible history of domestic violence connected to the woman’s address. Police had not publicly provided details about any previous incidents or said whether they were connected to Tuesday’s tragedy.
The distinction is important as investigators continue gathering surveillance footage, interviewing witnesses and reconstructing what happened inside the apartment before the fall.
ABC7 reported that police were reviewing surveillance video and searching for additional witnesses who may have seen or heard something before the mother and baby were found outside.
Despite early witness reports suggesting the pair may have been thrown from a balcony, the NYPD had not publicly established the cause of the fall or announced an arrest as of Tuesday afternoon.
A memorial of flowers and candles also began forming near the entrance of the building as word of the tragedy spread through the neighborhood.
The mother’s identity had not yet been publicly released.
The baby remained in critical condition as the investigation continued.
Anyone with information about the incident could potentially provide investigators with crucial details about what happened during the final minutes before the fall.
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