Woman Charged in Baby’s Death
A Santa Ana woman has been charged with assault in connection with the death of a 9-month-old girl she was baby-sitting.
Teresa Hurtado, 20, was arrested and booked at Santa Ana Jail following the death Monday of Brenda Martinez -- her niece -- at Coastal Communities Hospital in Santa Ana. She has been charged with assault resulting in the death of a child under 8. Her bail was set at $1 million.
Police believe Hurtado was baby-sitting at a home in the 2600 block of West Alton Drive when the infant started crying about 9:30 a.m.
“Hurtado held the baby against her chest in an effort to get her to stop crying,” said Santa Ana police Sgt. Baltazar De La Riva. “Moments later, the infant stopped crying but her body became limp and, shortly thereafter, Hurtado noticed that the baby had stopped breathing.”
The baby was taken to the hospital, De La Riva said, but she arrived in full cardiac arrest.
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