A baby died after she was strangled by her adult brother in Leesburg, Virginia, authorities say.
The 8-month-old girl was attacked on Wednesday, Sept. 17, and died on Tuesday, police said. She was found with a white charging cord around her neck, according to police.
The baby’s brother, Alvaro Mejia Ayala, 22, is in custody and federal immigration authorities say he was in the country unlawfully.
Leesburg Police Chief Thea Pirnat expressed her department’s condolences.
“The death of a child is an unbearable loss, and this one has deeply affected the involved family, the community and every first responder that was called to help,” she said at a news conference.
The baby was found with the cord around her neck in the family’s home on Hancock Place NE and rushed to a hospital in critical condition. Police say Mejia Ayala took off before officers arrived.
He was found a couple of blocks away a few hours later and arrested. He turned 22 in jail on Monday, his sister died on Tuesday and he will now face a murder charge.
The Department of Homeland Security released a statement saying Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued an immigration detainer for Mejia-Ayala. DHS said local police arrested him for reckless driving last year and released him before ICE could lodge a detainer.
“What kind of sick monster strangles a defenseless, innocent baby girl with a charging cord? This barbarism has no place in the U.S.,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said a statement.
The baby’s family asked that her name was not released.
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