'Why don't you die?': Woman tried killing 4-month-old daughter by covering her in blanket and sitting on her
A Texas mother has been accused of attempting to kill her four-month-old daughter by covering her with pillows and blankets and then sitting on her.
According to the Houston Chronicle, 20-year-old Meredith Nicole Deen has been charged with felony attempted capital murder in connection to the incident, which unfolded at her southeast Houston apartment on June 13.
Court documents filed regarding the case state that the abuse first came to light when Deen's live-in boyfriend returned home on June 13 and was told by her that she had punched the infant and wanted to throw her against a wall.
He reportedly fed her and put her to bed, only to see the mother place pillows and blankets on top of the four-month-old and sit on it.
He pulled her off on that occasion but found that she returned later in the night and once again attempted to smother the infant in the same way. He said he heard her muttering, "Why don't you die? Why are you still alive?"
The next morning, he said Deen was punching and scratching him as he drove her and the infant to Beginner's World Learning Academy to report the abuse. Workers noticed that the child was trembling and shaking as she was brought inside and alerted the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Speaking about the incident, the daycare's manager, Amy Ray, said, "Once they informed me they were on their way to our location, I decided to call the cops so they could interfere with the mother here and whatever had happened at her house."
She said she was concerned for the four-month-old's safety after the boyfriend informed the staff of what had happened the day before. "It's scary because it's not common to have EMS and cops all around our building," she said. "But we definitely just want the child to be protected."
The infant was subsequently taken to the Texas Children's Hospital in The Woodlands, where doctors found no signs of any injuries.
Deputies who arrived at the scene sent Deen to the Harris Center for mental evaluation after she threatened self-harm. During an interview at the center, she is said to have confessed to punching and trying to kill her daughter.
She apologized and claimed she had become upset earlier in the week after her mom refused to take care of the infant and that she couldn't take care of her alone, according to an affidavit.
She also admitted to trying to smother the four-month-old with a pillow and said she held it over the child's face for around 30 seconds before stopping. She said her boyfriend stopped her during her second attempt.
Deen is currently being held in jail on a $50,000 bond and has been ordered to not make any contact with her child or her child's daycare for 90 days.