Stepmom Charged with Murder of 9-Year-Old Queens Girl: NYPD

Investigators said it appeared the girl had been strangled

The stepmother of a 9-year-old girl whose body was found inside the bathtub of a Queens residence was charged Saturday with killing her, police said.

The stepmother, Shadai Argu, 55, was reported missing soon after friends kicked down the locked door of the bathroom Friday evening and discovered the body.

Argu was charged with second-degree murder after she was located and questioned by investigators. There was no information indicating she had yet obtained an attorney who could comment on her behalf.

Investigators initially said there was no sign of trauma on the body of Ashdeep Kaur when it was found inside the home on 112th Street in the Richmond Hill neighborhood.

They said Saturday that it appeared Ashdeep had been strangled.

Family members told NBC 4 New York that Ashdeep had moved to the United States from India about a month ago.

Ashdeep had stayed with her cousin's family for three days prior to her death, and didn't want to go home to her stepmother, her family said. She reluctantly returned home Friday, her family said.

Contact Us