A New York woman has been charged with murder after police found her young daughter unresponsive inside their home.
Francis Cabello, 32, is being held without bail on charges that she killed her 5-year-old daughter, Fabiana Cabello Singh, prosecutors said. Local ABC reported that Cabello appeared in court on Friday, two days after she allegedly called 911 and told dispatchers she had killed the girl.
According to WABC, Cabello called 911 on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and said, “I killed my daughter.” Police arrived at the family’s home in the Richmond Hill neighborhood of Queens around 6:30 p.m. and were met at the front door by Cabello, who allegedly told them, “She’s upstairs, not breathing.”
Officers found Fabiana in a bedroom, bleeding from her nose and mouth, police said. She was driven to Jamaica Hospital in a police car and was pronounced dead after arriving.
A criminal complaint obtained by WABC said the medical examiner found that Fabiana had “scrapes to her face, as well as petechiae to her eyes, heart and lungs, findings which can be found in cases of asphyxia.” Her exact cause of death was still pending.
Cabello was taken to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and was later taken into custody. Her father, Franklin Cabello, lives in the same home and was there when police arrived following the 911 call. He told WABC that his daughter “has mental problems. On medication.”
Gothamist spoke with Fabiana’s father, 36-year-old Kuldeep Singh, who was estranged from Cabello but remained in contact with her as the two co-parented their daughter. He told the outlet he learned of his daughter’s condition from the girl’s grandmother and rushed to the hospital, where she had died. Singh said Cabello “cared” for Fabiana “so much” and that he was unaware of any mental health issues.
Singh has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his daughter’s funeral.
Cabello pleaded not guilty at her first court appearance and remains in custody. She is due back in court on Oct. 20.