Deceased Red Hook Baby May Have Drowned in Bathtub

RED HOOK, BROOKLYN — Police are still investigating the death of 10-month-old Red Hook infant Meilani Hernandez, found unconscious in her apartment's bathtub on Nov. 6, a department spokeswoman said.

Officers responded to a 911 call at 8:30 p.m. on that day reporting the unresponsive child inside an apartment at 722 Henry St., according to the NYPD.

The child's mother told police that she found the girl in the apartment's bathtub, where she had been with a sibling, a police spokeswoman said Thursday.

Citing unnamed police sources, The New York Daily News reported that Hernandez's mother placed her in the tub and stepped out of the bathroom, after which she heard "her husband’s chilling screams for help," the sources said.

Hernandez was taken to Methodist Hospital by emergency medical responders where she was pronounced dead, police said.

The cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner's office, according to the NYPD. No outward signs of trauma were found on her body.

But the News, again citing police sources, reported that water was found in the baby's lungs, and that the NYPD believes Hernandez accidentally drowned.

Both parents have been interviewed by police, but no arrests had been made as of Nov. 10, according to the NYPD.

Pictured at top: 722 Henry St. Image via Google Maps.