An 11-month-old Brooklyn baby apparently drowned in a bathtub Sunday afternoon after his mother left him alone, NBC New York has learned.
Police say Elijah Pardella was found unconscious in his home just after 2:30 p.m. His mother left him and his older sister in the tub when she went to another room, sources close to the investigation tell NBC New York.
When she returned, the boy was under water and not breathing. His 3-year-old sister was OK. It wasn't clear how long the mother had left the children unattended.
According to The New York Post, the mother had unplugged the drain before she left the room, but the baby boy sat on it, preventing the water from escaping the tub.
The boy was pronounced dead at Brookdale Hospital. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the official cause of death.
The child's mother was brought in for questioning and later released, sources close to the investigation said. The investigation is ongoing.
Sunday marks the second time in a week a Brooklyn child has died in a bathtub. On Thursday, a 5-year-old girl drowned in a bathtub in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Law enforcement sources described her death as a tragic accident.
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