The lifeless body of a 7-year-old girl was discovered in the bathroom of her family’s apartment in Van Nuys. According to KTLA, Los Angeles police answered a distressing call about a child not breathing at a residence located on the 6800 block of Sepulveda Boulevard at around 5:14 p.m. The victim was found unresponsive in the bathtub of the family's second-story unit. A neighbor described a scene where the girl, along with a man and a woman, lived in the apartment, and how the man seemingly discovered her body and cried out for help. However, the police have yet to confirm the man’s relationship to the victim.
The child’s mother, reportedly bearing injuries resembling lacerations, was taken into custody. Her wrists were bound to a wheelchair, as shown in a video obtained from the scene. While ABC7 reports that the mother is accused of drowning her daughter, detailed information regarding the circumstances of the death remains scarce.
The ongoing homicide investigation, spearheaded by the Los Angeles Police Department and detailed by FOX LA, has yet to release the identity of the young girl and the connection of the detained individual to her. The specifics around the cause of death are still being meticulously examined and have not yet been disclosed to the public.
NBC Los Angeles reports that the mother, 38 years old, remains in police custody while detectives from the Valley Bureau Homicide Division continue to delve into the heartrending incident.
