A New York City man is accused of beating his 3-year-old stepdaughter to death because she soiled her diaper, police said.
The victim, Jeida Torres, was found unresponsive on Saturday at a homeless shelter in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood, authorities told NBC News. She was rushed to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in cardiac arrest but doctors were unable to save her life.
Torres' stepfather, Kelsey Smith, fled the shelter after allegedly beating the toddler- presumably because she soiled her diaper. Police caught up with the suspect hours later after he tried to commit suicide at his aunt's home in Queens, the New York Daily News reported.
Smith, 20, was charged with assault and endangering a child. He is currently recovering at Elmhurst Hospital.
The stepfather was supposed to be babysitting Torres along with her 5-year-old brother at the homeless shelter apartment while their mother was at work, according to NBC News.
After allegedly beating Torres- and her brother too- Smith called 911 pretending to be a neighbor complaining about loud children, police said.
"He was acting as (if) he was some downstairs neighbor and the kids upstairs were acting up," an unnamed police source told the Daily News. "There was absolutely no emotion. He didn't sound upset at all."
Smith then fled the apartment and allegedly called his wife, the victim's mother, saying "he did something bad to the kids. He said the daughter was not breathing," police told the newspaper.
The stepfather ended up at his aunt's house, where he slit his wrists in an apparent suicide attempt. His own mother gave him up to the police.
Torres' 5-year-old brother Andrew, whom Smith allegedly injured when he tried to stop the attack on his sister, was listed in stable condition at Wyckoff Hospital, NBC News reported.
Department of Homeless Services said they are aiding police in the investigation.
"The death of a child is a tragic incident which we are taking extremely seriously," DHS Deputy Commissioner Camille Rivera told the station. "We are working with the NYPD to determine how this occurred."
