A Chicago baby is dead and a relative is in custody after she took a power saw to the baby's throat to stop her from crying, a gruesome killing that has left neighbors who knew the family confounded.
Rosa Herrera, not yet 10 months old, was found dead after police were called to a residence in the city's Little Village neighborhood at around 9:30 a.m. Monday, authorities told the Chicago Tribune.
Police believe a 52-year-old relative tried subduing Rosa' cries by shoving a cloth down her throat, but when that did not work she allegedly used a circular saw to cut the baby's throat.
The woman then tried killing herself but was found by another relative. She is in police custody at Mounty Sinai Hospital, according to the Tribune.
The suspect's name has not been released and the baby's age was not immediately clear. Conflicting reports place her at 7 or 9 months old. Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said it never had contact with the family before the incident.
Police are considering the case a "domestic-related murder investigation." An unnamed person related to Rosa's father said they "have no idea" what happened and officials have not told them anything.
As the investigation is underway, residents on the West Side of Little Village said several family members live at the home on South Avers Avenue, including a mother, father and at least two daughters.
"They were really good people," Francisco Arreola told the Tribune in Spanish. "I would always see them and they were very happy. I never heard them fight or anything."
Another neighbor, Marcella Gentil, broke down in tears upon hearing news of the baby's death.
"It's sad," said Gentil, who is a mother. "It's sad, period."
