9-year-old Florida girl bites mother, pulls her hair to stop her from strangling baby sister to death
HIALEAH, FLORIDA: A heroic nine-year-old girl saved her baby sister's life after she caught her mother trying to strangle the six-month-old infant with her elbow, police said.
The horrific incident unfolded on February 22, at the Hialeah, Florida, home of 31-year-old Ailenys Carmenate, where she lived with the infant, her two other children (the nine-year-old daughter and her 12-year-old brother), and partner Randy Montano.
Montano, who is the infant's father and the other two children's stepfather, reportedly came home that night from work and had a brief argument with Carmenate before hopping into the shower, which is when the mother took the baby into a room with the two older children.
Inside, she instructed the kids to get into bed and then put the baby on its edge. The children got concerned when they heard Carmenate tell someone on the phone that she had killed their baby sister, and decided to intervene.
According to an arrest report, the nine-year-old immediately got up and "pulled the defendant’s hair, bit her arms and kicked her, doing everything she could to save [the baby’s] life."
Montano heard the commotion and tried to open the door, only to find it locked. The 12-year-old managed to open the door and let him out, and Montano tried to get Carmenate off the nine-year-old.
During the scuffle, the baby fell to the ground and hurt her head. However, Montano managed to flee the apartment with her before she was injured even further. He told police the infant was unconscious but that he was able to revive her.
The 12-year-old tried to follow him but was stopped by his mother, who "took hold of his neck," the arrest report states. However, the boy managed to escape even after she tried to put him into a chokehold.
His sister had similarly tried to escape but her mother "pulled her by the hair back inside and used her hair to violently throw her on the floor." She later told police "she had never experienced pain like that in her life" and that she "thought she was going to die" as her mother tried to choke her.
Carmenate was later arrested and was slapped with a series of charges, including premeditated murder, attempted murder, and child abuse. Family members revealed she suffered from postpartum depression, a severe long-lasting form of depression that commonly occurs after childbirth.
The 31-year-old broke down in court when she was ordered not to have any contact whatsoever with her three children and is currently being held at Miami-Dade's Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with no bond.
"I do not want to talk about the charges or comment about the case," Montano told CBS4. "The kids are good. I took the baby to get checked out and that is it. You can imagine how I feel. I am good but I feel bad but you have to move on. Ever since she gave birth she has changed."