3-Year-Old Girl Beaten, Choked To Death Inside Brooklyn Homeless Shelter, 5-Year-Old Brother Injured

A 3-year-old girl was pronounced dead after being found bruised and unconscious in a Brooklyn, New York, homeless shelter. The girl was found lying next to her injured 5-year-old brother, according to the police.

NBC News reports that Jeida Torres, the 3-year-old girl, was discovered unconscious and unresponsive Saturday afternoon in the Bushwick residence on Cooper Street, police said. She was rushed to a hospital in cardiac arrest, but was later pronounced dead from her injuries. Her brother was in stable condition at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, but his injuries are not known at this time.

Keith Best, who lives near the homeless shelter, told reporters that the boy had big bruises on his face and arms when he was found. He also noted that the children’s mother and grandfather sobbed when they arrived back home and found out what had happened to the children. According to ABC 7, police say they received a 911 call Saturday afternoon from a neighbor who reported screams coming from inside the shelter. When the police responded, they found the children. Police note that the children were being watched by their mother’s boyfriend while the mother was away. However, the boyfriend was not home when police arrived. He was eventually tracked down by police officers and taken into custody. Though he has not been charged in the case as of yet, the NYPD have painted a sinister picture of what happened to Jeida.

The New York Daily News reports that the child was brutally attacked by her mother’s enraged boyfriend who “punched and choked” the tiny child. She suffered injuries to her head and body, sources said.

“She either pooped her pants or peed on herself, and he got agitated.”

Suspect Kelsey Smith, who fled the scene and left the mortally injured child behind with her battered big brother, has a rap sheet with 14 prior arrests dating to 2008, cop sources said.

Camille Rivera, deputy commissioner for the Department of Homeless Services, said the agency was helping investigators.

“The death of a child is a tragic incident which we are taking extremely seriously. We are working with the NYPD to determine how this occurred.”

Earlier this year, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his plans to remove 400 children from two homeless shelters. According to officials, these shelters are being targeted because of their cited reports for their poor conditions that they’ve racked up over the last 10 years.

[Image Credit: Kimberly Torres-Smith Facebook Page]