Mother accused of deliberately dropping toddler off hotel balcony and abandoning her on road

GALVESTON, Texas (TCN) — A 30-year-old woman is in custody on suspicion of intentionally causing fatal injuries to her young daughter before abandoning her on a road.

In a press conference, Galveston Chief of Police Doug Balli said on the morning of Oct. 23, officers responded to a report of an unresponsive child just off Seawall Boulevard. Police found a 17-month-old girl on the pavement with signs of life, and emergency personnel attempted to revive the child. First responders transported the girl to the trauma center of a hospital, and she died shortly after.

Police took the victim’s mother, Channel Yonko, into custody following the child’s death. Per an affidavit reviewed by KRIV-TV, Yonko allegedly intentionally dropped her daughter from a hotel balcony, and investigators obtained video footage showing the victim’s fall from the third floor to the ground. In addition to her trauma injuries, the girl allegedly sustained three puncture wounds.

Yonko remains held in the Galveston County Jail without bond on a charge of capital murder.

“This is a horrible crime. All children deserve to feel safe when around loved ones, especially with their own mother,” Balli said.

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