1-year-old girl dead, twin brother critically injured in Queens; mom in custody
AUBURNDALE, Queens (WABC) -- A mother is in custody after a one-year-old girl died, and her twin brother is in critical condition.
Authorities were alerted by a 911 call to a basement apartment on Ashby Avenue in Auburndale, Queens, just before 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Inside, they found five children, including an unconscious one-year-old girl with severe trauma. Authorities say the children lived in unspeakable squalor in a basement apartment.
Elaina Torabi was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy will determine her cause of death.
Sources say she had bruises on the back of her head, bruising on her genitals, a large wound on her abdomen, and blisters and open lesions all over her body.
Her twin brother, Keon, was found with two broken ribs a broken hip, a lacerated liver and severe swelling to his abdomen. He was taken to Cohen Children's Medical Center in critical condition, but he is expected to survive.
Three other sisters, all between the ages of three and five, were also in the apartment but did not appear injured.
During a day of questioning, the mother reportedly was unable to tell detectives what happened in the basement apartment on Wednesday night. She has not yet been charged and will not appear in court until Friday.
Detectives are investigating possible domestic violence, however city officials noted there were never any allegations of physical abuse.
Back in 2017, all five children were removed from the mother and placed with their grandmother. A judge returned them to their mother in March after no evidence of drug use was found. Child welfare workers made at least one visit to the house since then.
ACS released a statement saying,
"Our top priority is protecting the safety and well-being of all children in New York City. We are investigating this case, and we have taken action to secure the safety of the other children in this home."
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