A mother was arrested Monday and charged in the death of her daughter. who was found unresponsive in a hotel swimming pool last year, Suffolk County police said.
Katlyn Pineda, who was 7 at the time, was found in the Marriott Melville pool on Jan. 13, 2022. She was taken first to Plainview Hospital and later to Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens. transferred to a longterm care facility in New Jersey, and remained in a coma until she died May 1.
Her mother, Erica Baez was arrested Monday evening in Manhattan. She was arraigned
Suffolk Police said she had left the girl unattended at the pool on the day of the incident.
The office of Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Tuesday that the woman was staying at the hotel with her boyfriend, her 5-month-old son, and her daughter, Katlyn. The defendant’s boyfriend had left the hotel early in the morning to go to work in the area.Tierney’s office reported the following:
At approximately 3:30 p.m., Baez allegedly asked hotel staff at the front desk to open the pool gate for the indoor atrium pool. Staff advised Baez that she was required to be present with her daughter at all times since there was no lifeguard on duty. Baez, however, allegedly left Katlyn playing inside the pool alone as she sat at the hotel bar eating and drinking. After approximately 30 minutes, Baez returned to the pool to check on Katlyn, who was still unsupervised inside the pool, and then allegedly left her for a second time.
Baez then went upstairs to her room, where her 5- month-old son was staying unsupervised, before returning to the hotel bar for a second alcoholic cocktail. The defendant allegedly did not return to check on Katlyn again for over 30 minutes. When Baez returned and observed that her child was floating lifeless in the pool, she removed her shoes and socks and set aside her phone before removing her daughter from the pool.
Baez, 41, of the Bronx, has been charged with Manslaughter 2nd Degree and two counts of Acting in a Manner Injurious to a Child. She was arraigned Tuesday and ordered held without bail. Baez’s next court date is on May 24.