What to Know
- The 23-year-old woman who was arrested earlier this week after her newborn baby was found abandoned allegedly tossed the baby out her bathroom window then threw her clothes in the laundry hamper, shower and sleep, prosecutors say.
- Sabita Dookram, of Richmond Hill, is charged with attempted murder and other crimes for allegedly tossing her newborn son out of her bathroom window shortly after she gave birth
- The baby was taken to a hospital when he was found and put on a ventilator, then transferred to a children's hospital; there, doctors found he had suffered a traumatic brain injury
The 23-year-old woman arrested earlier this week after her newborn baby was found abandoned allegedly tossed the baby out her bathroom window then proceeded to throw her clothes in the laundry hamper, shower and sleep, prosecutors say.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Tuesday that Sabita Dookram, of Richmond Hill, was arraigned and charged with attempted murder and other crimes for allegedly tossing her newborn son out of her bathroom window shortly after she gave birth.
Dookram was ordered return to court on Nov. 5. If convicted, the defendant faces up to 25 years in prison. Attorney information was not immediately known.
“This is a heartbreaking situation. A newborn baby has suffered greatly because of the alleged actions of his mother, who now faces serious charges and a lengthy prison sentence," Katz said in a statement.
According the district attorney's office, citing the charges, at around 10 a.m. Sunday, a neighbor heard whimpering noises coming from outside. When the neighbor went out to see what was making the noise she observed a newborn baby boy lying naked on the ground, next to the building’s garbage.
According to Katz, officers responding to the location saw blood on the ground, on the side wall leading up to the first floor bathroom window and on the window sill of the Dookram’s bathroom.
When questioned by police officers, Dookram allegedly said, according to the complaint, “I gave birth yesterday afternoon. I cut the cord with a scissor from the bathroom. I panicked and threw it out of the bathroom window. I did not check on the baby, I put my clothes in the laundry hamper in the bathroom, I showered and went to sleep.”
Dookram and the baby were transported to a local Queens hospital. Upon admission to the hospital, the baby was placed on a ventilator and then transferred to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where an examination revealed that the baby suffered a traumatic brain injury with bleeding and swelling about the brain and scalp and an abdominal injury with internal bleeding.
