Death of 11-month-old Bronx girl who drowned in bathtub ruled a homicide

The drowning death of an 11-month-old Bronx miss past summertime has been ruled a homicide, authorities said Friday.

Detectives are present trying to find who killed Jezeli Maribel, who died Aug. 14 aft drowning successful the bathtub of her family’s flat connected West Farms Road adjacent Boone Ave. successful Crotona Park.

Neighbor Frank DeJesus told the Daily News astatine the clip that the child’s mother, Victoria, ran into the gathering hallway astir 7:40 p.m. with Jezeli’s limp assemblage successful her arms, wailing “My baby’s dead!”

“We opened the doorway and we spot that she’s screaming connected the level successful the hallway. Our neighbour was holding the baby,” said DeJesus. “The babe was purple.”

First responders rushed to the flat adjacent West Farms Road and Boone Ave. successful Crotona Park East wherever small Jazeli Mirabal was recovered unconscious successful August. (Sam Costanza for the New York Daily News)

DeJesus called 911 and relayed instructions from the relation to neighbors who had rushed to the child’s aid.

“Another neighbour came up and helium grabbed the baby, and I was connected the telephone with 911,” DeJesus recalled. “They were telling maine what to do, and I was telling him what to do.”

The babe spit retired h2o arsenic CPR was performed connected her but she remained unconscious DeJesus said.

The parent aboriginal told constabulary the babe drowned successful the bathtub, constabulary sources said. Detectives were investigating whether the parent had near small Jezeli unattended successful the tub, a instrumentality enforcement root told The News.

A tiny memorial for the babe successful her gathering courtyard connected West Farms Rd. adjacent Boone Ave. successful the Bronx. (Emma Seiwell)

Jezeli was a blessed and steadfast babe miss whose older sisters, ages 2 and 4, doted connected her, according to a 65-year-old person of her mother.

“She had a beauteous face,” the person said. “She looked much similar her dad. She has 2 older sisters and they ever played with her. They loved their sister.”

The household had nary erstwhile interaction with constabulary oregon the Administration for Children’s Services.