Bronx mother indicted in drowning death of 7-year-old daughter

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A Bronx, New York, woman was indicted for manslaughter and other charges Tuesday in connection to the drowning death of her 7-year-old daughter.

Erica Baez, 41, was charged with second-degree manslaughter and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, which stem from the death of her daughter Katlyn Pineda, who died May 1 — nearly a year-and-a-half after the incident took place.

A Bronx woman was indicted in the death of her 7-year-old daughter, who was found lifeless in the pool at the Marriott in Melville, N.Y., in January 2022, before being resuscitated. The child died May 1, 2023. (Google Maps)

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney’s office said in a press release Tuesday that on Jan. 13, 2022, Baez, her 5-month-old son, her 7-year-old daughter, and boyfriend, were staying at the Marriott Melville Long Island hotel on Walt Whitman Road in Melville.

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Baez, at about 3:30 p.m. that day, asked hotel staff to open the indoor pool area.

Baez’s boyfriend had left earlier in the day and the staff member told her she needed to be in the pool area with her daughter at all times because a lifeguard was not on duty.

The DA’s office said Baez allegedly had drinks and food at the hotel bar while her daughter played in the pool alone. 

After nearly 30 minutes, Baez returned to check on Katlyn, who was still playing in the pool area alone, then left again.

Inside a courtroom with gavel in view.  (iStock)

Baez allegedly went to her room upstairs and checked on her unsupervised 5-month-old son, then returned to the bar for another drink.

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More than 30 minutes passed before Baez checked on Katlyn, investigators claim, and when she finally returned her daughter was floating lifeless in the pool.

Baez removed her shoes and socks, and put her phone aside before retrieving Katlyn from the water, investigators said.

When emergency crews arrived on the scene, Baez allegedly told them her daughter was alone in the water for five minutes.

Crews performed CPR on the pulseless child and successfully restarted Katlyn’s heart before she was transported to an area hospital.

While her heart was beating again, Katlyn suffered brain damage from the lack of oxygen, which was irreversible.

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The DA’s office said Katlyn remained on a ventilator and feeding tube and was transferred to a long-term care facility in New Jersey.

She died two weeks ago on May 1.

Baez was arrested in New York City by the Suffolk County Police Department with the help of U.S. Marshals on May 15, and arraigned before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski on May 16.

She was held without bail and her next court date is scheduled for May 24.

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"The alleged actions of this defendant were selfish, senseless and heartless," Tierney said. "We are going to do everything we can to ensure that justice is served for little Katlyn, whose short life ended too soon."