Minnesota mother drags son, 11, out of bed and throws him off fourth-floor balcony, say police
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA: A Minnesota mother has been arrested after police said she dragged her 11-year-old son from his bunk bed and threw him off the balcony of their fourth-floor St. Paul apartment, leaving him seriously injured.
The incident came to light after St. Paul police responded to an apartment in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood at around 8.40 am on March 9 over reports of attempted suicide, according to the Pioneer Press.
The caller told the dispatcher they thought they saw a child jump from a balcony in the Union Flats on Hampden Avenue. When police reached the scene, they found an 11-year-old boy on the ground in the apartment's courtyard.
The young boy was conscious and breathing, but had "visible injuries that appeared to be significant," said St. Paul police spokesman Steve Linders.
He was transported to Regions Hospital, where he is being treated for a range of injuries, including at least one broken femur, a fractured jaw, and head injuries.
While the incident was initially suspected to be attempted suicide, investigators quickly learned from other people in the apartment that the victim's mother, 33-year-old Itayvia Lloyd, had thrown the boy from the balcony.
Lloyd has since been arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault and malicious punishment of a child in connection to the incident, though a motive currently remains unclear. Linders said she admitted to throwing her son off the balcony to investigators "but did not tell them why."
The victim's six-year-old brother was also in the apartment at the time and has been taken to the Midwest Children's Resource Center to be interviewed about the incident.
In a statement, Police Chief Todd Axtell said stories like these reminded him of "how fragile and precious life is" and that his heart "goes out to this child, his brother and all who love him." He also thanked "the officers and medics, who were first on scene and did everything possible to get him help, comfort him and begin a journey towards health and healing."
"As the grandfather of seven little ones and someone who has responded to calls like this—calls involving the unthinkable—I know the emotional toll this can take on a person," he wrote. "This one is tough. Thank you for letting me share a little. And please be kind to everyone you meet."
Lloyd's case had not been presented to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office for charging consideration as of March 9 afternoon.