Hialeah mother of newborn murdered, 13-year-old son charged
MIAMI - A mother of a newborn was murdered Thursday night in Hialeah, police suspect the killer was her own son.
Around 11:30 p.m., officers were sent to an apartment in the 200 block of West 79th Place after 911 received a call from a 13-year-old who said he had just killed his mother.
When officers arrived, they found the body of 39-year-old Irina Garcia in her bedroom, it was lying next to a crib with a 14-day-old baby inside. The infant was not harmed. Police said Garcia had been stabbed multiple times.
Police took the teen, who is an 8th grader at the iMater Academy Middle School in Hialeah, into custody. He's been charged with second-degree murder. At a hearing at the Children's Courthouse in Miami, a judge found probable cause in this case and ordered that he be held in secure detention for 21 days pending a hearing on November 2nd.
The woman's husband, who is a truck driver, was away on business. He's now heading home.
Investigators are now working to learn what led up to the woman's death.
Lt. Eddie Rodriguez of Hialeah Police told CBS News MIami's Peter D'Oench, "Yesterday at 11:30 p.m., a 13-year-old male called 911 and said he murdered his mother. When officers got there, they found a deceased female inside and inside a crib was a 14-day-old baby. Fortunately, the baby was not injured."
Rodriguez said, "We cannot say why this happened. We can say that he called 911 and advised what he did. From what I understand there were no other calls to the apartment and people here said he was a good kid and as far as we know there were no mental health issues. We just don't know why he did this. This is heartbreaking, I never would have imagined something like this, a 13-year-old child taking his mother's life. It is a sad story," said police Lt. Eddie Rodriguez.
Police said they have no history with this family.
A neighbor, Marianella Lafaurie, said, "She lived there with a kid who was 13 years old. He was part of a normal family. I never saw arguing or police there before. This is a very calm area. This is the first time I have seen something like this happening. This is the first time I have seen this many police around."
In a statement, Teresa Santalo, the Principal of the Imater Academy Middle School, confirmed the teenager was an 8th-grade student at the school.
She said, "We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident. As this is currently an ongoing police investigation, we are unable to provide any further information at this time. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family involved during this incredibly difficult time."
D'Oench also spoke with loved ones of Irina Garcia in Hialeah. They said they were too upset to say anything right now.
CBS News Miami also spoke with employees at the salon where Garcia worked in Hialeah. They also said they did not want to comment right now.
They said Garcia had taken maternity leave from the salon before she gave birth to her baby girl.
