BROOKLYN, NY – A mother from Brooklyn is facing serious charges after her 6-year-old daughter was discovered dead in a family bathtub, according to court proceedings on Sunday. The woman allegedly told investigators she was performing a “baptism” at the time of the incident.
Karla Espinal, 26, was taken into custody without bail after authorities found the young girl, Madelyn Tavarez, submerged in the bathtub with blood clots in her eyes, indicating she may have struggled to survive. The unsettling discovery was made inside the family’s home in the Highland Park area on Friday.
Court documents reveal that a family member provided haunting details of the scene to the police, stating that Espinal had submerged her daughter in the bathtub. The complaint from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office quotes Espinal saying, “I was baptizing my daughter.”
Espinal has now been placed under psychiatric evaluation and is on suicide watch, according to prosecutors. The tragic event has raised numerous questions as to what transpired during the last moments of the girl’s life. Authorities believe Madelyn could have been underwater for up to 20 minutes.
Efforts to save the girl were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead at Brookdale University Medical Center after being rushed from her home. Madelyn’s father, Jorge Tavarez, reported to police that his daughter was in a good condition just an hour before the incident.
During a court appearance, Espinal was arraigned with charges including second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors indicated that additional charges could follow pending autopsy results.
The incident has left neighbors in disbelief, describing Espinal and her daughter as part of an outwardly joyful family. The arrest has sent shockwaves through the community, who are now struggling to reconcile these allegations with the family they thought they knew.
Relatives of the family remained silent and refrained from commenting during the court proceedings on Sunday.