1 hour ago
The father of the accused woman has claimed that she was battling 'psychological issues' and was off her medication when the incident happened.
Responding officers found the child inside a bedroom in her house.
New Delhi,Oct 17, 2026 10:04 IST
A five-year-old girl's death in New York City has led to the arrest of her mother, who allegedly told the emergency dispatch that she herself killed the child. The girl, Fabiana Cabello, was found unresponsive inside the family's home in the South Richmond Hill neighbourhood of Queens.
Her mother, Francis Cabello, who is in her early 30s, confessed while calling 911 for help, telling the operator, "I killed my daughter," according to sources cited by the New York Post.
The father of the accused woman has claimed that she was battling "psychological issues" and was off her medication when the incident happened.
When police arrived at the scene during the evening hours on Wednesday (local time), they purportedly found Francis downstairs. She reportedly directed them upstairs, saying that her daughter was not breathing.
The officers found the girl in a bedroom, bleeding from her nose and mouth, police said. She was rushed to a hospital, but was pronounced dead there.
Francis was also taken to a hospital for evaluation. Investigators questioned her late Thursday. Charges were pending against her at the time.
Meanwhile, the medical examiner was working toward determining the cause of Fabiana's death. The investigators were treating it as a case of homicide.
'KNEW SHE WASN'T 100% THERE'
Talking about the mental health history of the accused, her father and the victim's grandfather, Franklin Cabello said his daughter had stopped taking her medication and was hospitalised around three months before the incident.
"I knew mentally she (Francis) wasn't 100% there," he said.
"I knew something was wrong. When a person stops taking medicine for the sickness that she had, the person is going to suffer," Franklin, who was home at the time, was quoted as saying by the New York Post.
He said he never thought Francis was capable of harming her daughter, describing her as a protective and attentive mother.
"I never would have thought she would have done something like this," Franklin said.
He also said that he had been trying to keep an eye on his daughter as he was worried her mental healt crisis might worsen after she went off her meds.
Franklin also said that his daughter had been acting strange lately.
"I knew that she stopped taking the medication. I used to tell her to take her medication. She said the doctor authorised her to stop taking the medicine," he stated.
He added, "I did not know if it was true or false."
- Ends
