A 3-year-old boy has died after he was pushed into Lake Michigan in Chicago by his aunt, officials said.
The child was with Victoria Moreno, 34, on Sept. 19 when she allegedly pushed him into the water in the 700 block of East Grand Street, the site of Navy Pier, a tourist attraction.
“The offender did not attempt to rescue the victim,” police said in a news release.
The child was pulled from the water by emergency personnel and transported to a hospital in critical condition, police said.
The toddler, identified as Josiah Brown, was pronounced dead at 10:16 a.m. Sunday at Lurie Children’s Hospital, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said.
Moreno was arrested less than an hour after the boy was in the water at the scene and charged with first-degree attempted murder and aggravated battery of a child.
Moreno was denied bail at a court hearing Wednesday where the defense argued that she has mental health issues, NBC Chicago reported.
Prosecutors said that Moreno lives in Des Plaines, a Chicago suburb, with her family and left the house with Josiah without anyone else knowing.
At Navy Pier, she allegedly allowed him to crawl under a chain-link fence blocking access to the water and pulled him toward her when she saw people watching, prosecutors said, according to the station. But when no one else was around, she climbed over the fence and pushed him off the platform, causing him to fall 6 feet into the water below, prosecutors alleged.
He was in the water for 30 minutes when divers pulled him out from the bottom of the lake, according to prosecutors.
NBC News has reached out to her attorney for comment. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Friday.
The Cook County State’s Attorney Office said in a statement Monday that so far charges against Moreno have not been upgraded following Josiah’s death.
“We anticipate that additional charges may be filed after the medical examiner’s office and police department have completed their investigations,” the statement said.
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