Thread: Baby tossed from building; mom arrested

By GILLIAN FLACCUS - Associated Press | AP – 4 hrs ago

ORANGE, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California woman accused of tossing her 7-month-old son from the fourth floor of a hospital parking structure was arrested after she circled back to the scene four hours later, a police spokesman said Tuesday.

Sonia Hermosillo, 31, of La Habra was arrested Monday night, hours after the baby was thrown over a parking structure railing at Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange police Sgt. Dan Adams said.

The infant remained in critical condition Tuesday at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center, which has a trauma unit.

Hermosillo, who could make a first court appearance as early as Wednesday, was being held without bail for investigation of attempted murder and is undergoing a psychological evaluation in the jail's medical ward, said Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino. She was also on an immigration hold, he said.

A message left at a cell phone number associated with Hermosillo's address was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Police have not released a motive and the Orange County district attorney's office declined to comment until prosecutors there received the case from detectives, said Farrah Emami, district attorney spokeswoman.

"Our investigators did tell me that they're certain she's the suspect and we're not looking for any other suspects," Adams said.

A witness on the ground saw the baby falling through the air just after 6 p.m. Monday and called 911, authorities said.

Surveillance video showed Hermosillo's tan Chevrolet Blazer sport utility vehicle with an empty child seat leaving the parking structure a short time later, the sergeant said. The female driver was the only person in the SUV, and the license plate was traced to the Hermosillo home.

Adams said that during the investigation, the La Habra Police Department notified detectives that a man had reported his wife, Sonia Hermosillo, and their son missing.

An Orange police officer driving past Children's Hospital at 10:15 p.m. spotted the Blazer driving on a street about 100 yards from the crime scene and Hermosillo was at the wheel, Adams said.

Police said Tuesday that Hermosillo was cooperating with the investigation. They declined to release any further details.

Court records in Orange County indicate Hermosillo has no major criminal record but pleaded guilty to four traffic violations in La Habra in 2008, including driving without a valid license and having no proof of insurance.

It's unclear whether the family had any connection to Children's Hospital before the incident, Adams said. A hospital spokeswoman referred all calls to police.

http://news.yahoo.com/calif-baby-tos...124242460.html

Sorry, but this cracks me up..............

An Orange police officer driving past Children's Hospital at 10:15 p.m. spotted the Blazer

An Ompalompa ?? Even Willie Wonka is laying people off ??


She could have left the baby in the ER - most states recognise this as a "Safe Haven"

Husband defends wife in Calif. baby's death
By AMY TAXIN - GILLIAN FLACCUS | AP – 1 hr 54 mins ago

ORANGE, Calif. (AP) — The husband of a woman accused of tossing her disabled 7-month-old son off the fourth story of a hospital parking structure said Wednesday that his wife suffered from postpartum depression and he doesn't blame her for her actions.

The baby, Noe Medina Jr., died of his injuries earlier in the day at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center, the same day that his mother was charged with murder and felony child abuse. Sonia Hermosillo, 31, made a brief court appearance but did not enter a plea. She is due back in court Thursday.

Prosecutors allege that Hermosillo removed a helmet that her son wore for a medical condition before tossing him from the parking structure at Children's Hospital of Orange County. She then went back inside the hospital to validate her parking before driving away late Monday, senior deputy district attorney Scott Simmons said.

Hermosillo's husband, Noe Medina, said in an emotional press conference that he didn't blame his wife and urged women to get treatment if they think they might have postpartum depression. He previously told The Orange County Register that his wife was deeply distraught because their son was diagnosed with congenital muscular torticollis — a twisting of the neck to one side — and wore a helmet to help correct his plagiocephaly, also known as flat-head syndrome. He had been receiving treatment at Children's Hospital but did not have an appointment the day of the incident. "My wife was not in her five senses. She didn't know what she was doing," Medina said, choking back tears. "I don't know if many people know what postpartum depression is, but in reality it is something very serious and needs to be treated."

Simmons said Hermosillo's behavior showed she intended to kill her son, regardless of her mental state. "It's not like she's in a fetal position when the police arrived," he said. "She picks a specific location, drives to the top of the building (and) takes the helmet off. I'm sure she's depressed, the post-partum blues, I'm sure she had some of that. It's going to be up to a jury to decide if she had the wherewithal to inform the intent to kill."

Hermosillo's arraignment has been postponed until Sept. 16. Orange County Superior Court Judge Joe Perez set bail at $1 million, but federal immigration officials have a no-bail hold to keep her in custody because she is in the U.S. illegally, said Jim Amormino, sheriff's spokesman. Hermosillo was being held in the medical ward, where she is receiving a psychological evaluation while, he said. The Mexican national is being kept in a cell by herself and wearing a protective gown so she can't injure herself, he added.

The judge appointed a public defender for Hermosillo. The attorney did not comment after the hearing, which was conducted in a jailhouse courtroom and relayed to spectators on a closed-circuit TV. Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office, said prosecutors were not commenting on a motive. "We're not going to speculate at this point as to why she may have done it. I don't think there will ever be a satisfactory answer as to why a mother would do something like this to her child," she said.

A witness on the ground saw the baby falling and several people, including a doctor, called 911, said Sgt. Dan Adams, a spokesman for Orange police. Surveillance video showed Hermosillo's sport utility vehicle with an empty child seat leaving the parking structure a short time later, the sergeant said. The license plate was traced to Hermosillo's home.

During the investigation, La Habra police notified detectives that Medina had reported his wife and their son missing, Adams said. An Orange police officer driving past Children's Hospital about four hours later spotted the SUV on a street about 100 yards from the crime scene and Hermosillo at the wheel, Adams said. Both La Habra and Orange police agencies declined requests for the 911 tapes, citing the investigation.

County court records show Hermosillo has no major criminal record but pleaded guilty to four traffic violations in La Habra in 2008, including driving without a valid license and having no proof of insurance.

http://news.yahoo.com/husband-defend...001246183.html

comments

absolute hog wash -- she KNEW what she was doing, she made a CHOICE to forego hospital bills and the pangs of a caring for a child with a disability - let the court decide after they find her FIT for trial... post partum depr, even if it where the case, does not throw one into homicidal infanticide.. this was deliberate and malicious....

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she dosent deserve to be sent back to her country either make her do her time here first and i dont believe in the post partum depression she is pulling i have 3 girls one after another one disabled also and i never have thought once of doing any harm to them that is a cop out she deserves everything she gets and so does her husband if he was that worried why did he leave the baby with her he is as much to blame as her...

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They are all illegal and we are footing the bill! Deport and all others who reside in this country illegally. Change the law to allow an immediate death penalty for illegal immigrats commiting crimes in this country. Enforce immigration policies and remove all lawyer fees for defence. What part of illegal do you not get!

Anyone who supports illegal immigration, directly or not demanding our laws be inforced will not get my vote!


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I heard that a person near the scene overheard her tell officers that she was offended by the term anchor baby and threw the poor child overboard like an #$%$ boat anchor.....bixtch!!

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I had severe postpartum depression after the birth of my daughter. I don't know how other women feel, but with me- the ONLY thing that made me happy and sane was my baby. After a few months and some antidepressants I was as good as new.

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Pray for both of them. She knew what she was doing.

Originally Posted by 3lilpigs

This is horrible. Amazing that the baby survived.

Originally Posted by gmyers

Poor little fella. I really hope he lives and isn't seriously injured or paralyzed. Its sad to think how scared he must have been.

From the article : The baby, Noe Medina Jr., died of his injuries earlier in the day at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center, the same day that his mother was charged with murder and felony child abuse....

Remember him in your prayers tonight.

That was what jumped out at me... she took the time to take off the helmet ... then went to have her parking validated?? Save the few dollars for the use of the parking structure ?? That was the priority in her mind ???