Mom Accused Of Killing Her 8-Month-Old Child Arrested

A 29-year-old woman in San Jose, California, has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of one of her 8-month-old twins earlier this month.

Celina Juarez was being held on a homicide charge after the infant died in a local hospital on Nov. 5, CBS News reported, citing San Jose police.

On Nov. 4, police responded to the 1400 block of Hurlingham Way after receiving a call for unconscious 8-month-old infant twins at around 3:16 p.m.

When responding officers arrived, they administered CPR on one of the infants who was not breathing. Medics soon arrived, and the infants were transported to local hospitals.

One of the twins passed away the following day while in intensive care. No update has been provided on the condition of the surviving twin as of this writing.

The twins were under the care of Juarez when the medical emergency occurred, police said.

A comprehensive probe was launched by homicide detectives and members of the Santa Clara County severe child injury and death team. An arrest warrant was later issued, charging Juarez with homicide.

Juarez suffered from an unknown medical emergency during the preliminary stages of the investigation. She was transported to a local hospital, where she stayed until Nov. 16.

Following her release, the 29-year-old was taken into custody by the Metro Unit. She was then booked into the Santa Clara County Main jail.

Court documents obtained by KRON 4 identified the deceased child as Melani Doe and the other child as Zari Doe.

According to the docs, Juarez told investigators that on the day of the incident, she was trying to breastfeed her infants, which she had not done for a while.

She said she picked up Melani and pushed her very hard against her right breast "not allowing her to come up for air." The mother told officers she wanted Melani to "latch on" to her breast to drink milk and became "frustrated" when the infant did not, the court documents said.

Juarez said she felt Melani gasping for air and saw her legs kicking but held the infant against her breast forcefully for another 10 minutes. Upon seeing that the baby was not breathing, she continued to press Melani's mouth against her breast for another two minutes before removing her and placing her unconscious body on the bed, according to the court papers.

Juarez said she then picked up the other infant, Zari, and pushed her onto her left breast. This caused the infant to gasp for air. The mother said she continued pressing without letting the child come up for air, the court documents stated.

When both babies stopped breathing, Juarez said she waited about 20 minutes before asking her mom for help. Both the suspect and her mother attempted chest compressions and CPR, court documents said.

Juarez's brother called 911 after he returned home and was informed that the twins were not breathing, according to the documents.