Celina Juarez has been charged in the death of one of her 7 month old twin daughters. She is said to have suffocated the baby with her breasts as she was breastfeeding.
The incident was said to have occurred on November 4, in San Jose, California, in their residence. The mother has been charged with murder in the death of her baby Melani, and child endangerment of her twin sister, Zari.
Officers had come to the home after receiving a call that Melani wasn’t breathing, and her sister was unresponsive. Both were transported to a medical facility.
Juarez told police that her husband had left for work, and she had gone to church with the babies and her two year old son until 12 p.m. When they got back home, the children’s grandmother had taken her son with her to run errands. She then stated that she was taking care of the twins who had been “fussy and sick.”
Although she usually uses bottles to feed them, the mother decided to breastfeed them so that they could get a great amount of nutrients.
She told authorities that since the babies couldn’t latch on properly, she intentionally pressed her breasts against their mouths. She thinks that Melani had been against her breasts for about 10 minutes before she put her unconscious body on the bed.
Authorities say that she placed Zari against her breasts and wouldn’t allow her to “come up for air.” She waited 20 minutes before calling her mother. They administered CPR on the twins, and her brother called police.
Melani died two days following the occurrence. Doctors say that she had suffered respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. The second child was alert but signs of skin discoloration were evident.
Juarez is being held in jail and is set to enter a plea in December.
Smh!