'Frustrated' Mother Fatally Assaults 2-Month-Old Baby In Manhattan Homeless Shelter

A 24-year-old-woman ended up killing her 2-month-old baby after smacking his head repeatedly against a portable crib in a homeless shelter in Manhattan, authorities said on Tuesday.

Alyssa Owens, who claimed to be "frustrated" at the time of the incident, has been charged with assault and acting in a manner injurious to a child. She was produced before the Manhattan Criminal Court, reported New York Daily News.

Owens and her children were staying at Candlewood Suites Hotel on West 39th Street when the incident took place. The city uses some rooms of the said hotel to house the homeless. On Sunday noon, Owens called 911, claiming that her son Antonio Diaz was not breathing.

Paramedics found the baby unconscious and unresponsive when they arrived at the scene. He was soon rushed to Mount Sinai West Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The cops initially thought that the baby had died due to sudden infant death syndrome as he did not have any visible injuries. However, according to a report from the New York Post, it was later found that a blunt force trauma to the head had caused his demise. Further examination on the child revealed skull fractures, hemorrhaging in the organs and a hematoma under his scalp.

Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Junig said the defendant had confessed to the crime. "Detectives interviewed the defendant again (after discovering the injuries). Only after being told of the severity of the injuries…did the defendant admit she had hit her son's head on the side of the pack-and-play three times in a row," he said, noting that the charges are likely to be upgraded to homicide once an autopsy confirms Antonio's cause of death.

The Administration for Children's Services took away Owen's older child, who is also a toddler, following the baby's death.

According to Michelle Grant, the defendant's attorney, Owens had a serious learning disability and was living on social security.

The Candlewood Suites, where Owens stayed, has offered to cooperate with the investigation. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of this child following this tragedy. We are cooperating fully with the NYPD on their investigation and would refer any further questions to them," a spokesperson from the establishment said.

Last year, a woman from Wisconsin was sentenced to life in prison after strangling her newborn baby to death. Marylinn A. Feher, who delivered the baby while using the toilet, strangled the infant and smacked his head repeatedly against the toilet.