Police are investigating the brutal death of a 2-year-old girl in Brooklyn, who was found with puncture wounds, strangulation marks and possible signs of sexual abuse, sources told NBC New York.
Sources said the child appears to have been killed early Friday morning inside the Putnam Avenue apartment along the border of Bed-Stuy and Bushwick. The girl's mother, identified as Brandis Nwegbo, 29, is the main suspect, sources said.
Police responded to the scene at about 4 a.m. after getting reports of someone trying to jump off the roof, sources said.
When they arrived, they did not see anyone on the roof, but found a trail of blood leading there. Officers then saw a door open to an apartment, and when they went inside they saw a woman cradling the battered child, babbling incoherently.
Sources say there was a shattered fish tank inside the home, and pieces of glass littering the floor. The baby was taken to Woodhull Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The family had a history of homelessness, according to sources.
The mother is in custody, undergoing psychiatric examination, and could not be reached for comment. It was not known if she had a lawyer.
Sources said she also had lacerations on her face and wrist.
Sources said there was no known history of violence at the home, although sources familiar with the investigation confirm the mother was the subject of a child welfare complaint in April 2010 related to a fight she had in a homeless shelter in the Bronx.
Sources say the child was present during the fight but was not injured and the complaint -- called in by a shelter worker -- did not involve abuse allegations. The investigation was closed after 60 days.
