Posted on 10/30/2004 5:32:50 PM PDT by Conservatrix
A 2-year-old girl who spent nearly five days locked inside an SUV — along with the lifeless body of her slain mom — could have been rescued earlier but for a bungling 911 dispatcher, officials said yesterday.
Little Rosie Batista, of Queens, was pulled from the back seat by firefighters on Thursday afternoon. She was in critical condition at Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park, where she was treated for severe dehydration.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Batista was abandoned on Sunday morning at 95th Avenue near the Van Wyck Expressway after a deadly argument between her mother, Cesarina Colon, 29, and Colon's boyfriend, Leonardo, Almonte, 32.
He said a female caller told a police dispatcher on Wednesday that she had seen "a baby in the car."
But the dispatcher failed to pass along crucial information about the baby to patrol cops, identifying the SUV only as "a suspicious vehicle," Kelly said.
The dispatcher also failed to pass along the car's plate numbers, he added.
"We don't know why the information was not put forward," Kelly said.
The car remained on the street until the following day, when a male caller told a 911 operator he had seen a dead woman inside. Firefighters who rushed to the scene pulled out the mother's decomposing body and rushed the child to the hospital.
Almonte, of 139-11 115th Ave. in Jamaica, confessed yesterday that he had bludgeoned Colon to death and abandoned her body in the SUV, leaving her child inside.
The Dominican Republic native was charged with kidnapping and murder and faces 50 years to life in prison if convicted.
"This man has ice water in his veins," said a law-enforcement source. "It was a callous and depraved crime. This was an innocent child."
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
A detective who interrogated Almonte said he appeared to be "filled with remorse." Kelly said cops had irrefutable video evidence showing the bodega owner dumping the SUV at around 1 a.m. on Sunday and added that Almonte had described the killing in detail. We have the victim's common-law husband [in custody]," he said. "We have a signed confession."
Police said Almonte killed Colon after an argument late on Saturday, then abandoned the locked car with the corpse and child still inside. -continued- Friends said an autopsy photograph showed a barely recognizable, blood-drenched Colon with broken teeth and multiple bruises to her face. *******************
Oh, I so grieve for the poor child. Pray for her. Imagine the horror of being trapped, terrified and hungry for 5 days, seeing your mother die, seeing her next to you dead, unable to understand what is happening,unable to move, thirsty, dirty diapers, crying out and no one is helping you, for five days. 2 years old. God bless that poor innoncent baby. I pray for her healing in body, mind and spirit.
I really wish I hadn't read this story.
Makes me want to throw up.
This is why we have the death penalty.
No death penalty in NY.........partial birth abortion yes, death penalty for brutal murderers, no.
I'm confused. If I came upon this scene -- a baby locked in a car with a dead woman -- I wouldn't call 911 and walk away. How is it possible that the child was not rescued until the following day?
Wonder how many other people walked by and did not call at all.
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