Woman drowned son in Bloomington hotel bathtub before throwing his body in garbage, charges say
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — A Minnesota woman has been charged with murder after allegedly drowning her son in a hotel bathtub.
Esperanza Rae Harding, 20, faces one count of second-degree murder, according to Hennepin County court documents filed Friday.
Harding went to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis Wednesday looking for her son, saying he died at the hospital on March 1, according to a criminal complaint. The hospital had no record of the boy being at the hospital.
"Given the suspicious nature of the defendant's claim, officers sat down for an interview with the defendant," the complaint said. "Eventually, the defendant admitted that victim did not die at the hospital, but in fact, died at a hotel in Bloomington on February 28, 2024."
In another interview with Bloomington police, Harding said she killed the child because the man she was dating did not like him and wanted her to give the boy up for adoption, the complaint states. Her boyfriend, identified as Edwin Trudeau in court documents, has been charged with one count of aiding an offender.
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According to the complaint, the night the boy died, Harding was taking a bath in the hotel when he started crying in the other room. The complaint goes on to say she texted her boyfriend, warning him she was going to kill the child. She allegedly texted him again after drowning the boy.
Authorities allege the boyfriend came to the hotel and unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate the child, then told Harding to throw his body in the garbage, which she did. Investigators have not found the body.
Harding and Trudeau are both in custody.
