03-17-2011, 11:25 AM
Nantucket Island
the 'rose' she shoved down the baby's throat was in fact her fist.
full story here:
http://www.ack.net/childdeath031411.html
(March 17, 2011) An island mother was charged Tuesday with the murder of her 3-year-old daughter, who was found unresponsive by police and emergency medical technicians a day earlier at the family’s Pine Tree Road home near Nantucket Memorial Airport.
Dora Tejada, 26, was held without bail following a brief arraignment Tuesday afternoon, and will be examined for mental competency before returning to court next week.
First assistant district attorney Brian Glenny declined to comment on the cause of 3-year-old Nicole Garcia’s death or why her mother had been arrested, but court records indicate Tejada may have suffocated her child with her hand or an object, including a rose or a piece of candy.
A police report, which cited interviews with Tejada, members of her family, and a pastor, painted a picture of a mentally disturbed woman who claimed she could speak to the holy spirit, was given a gift from God that allowed her to see dead relatives, and needed to rid her daughter of demons. A family friend, however, described her as a loving, protective mother, and neighbors said they often saw her walking down their rutted dirt road with her children.
Tejada, a member of Nantucket’s sizable El Salvadoran community who worked as a house-cleaner on the island, had two children including Nicole and a younger son, Luis, with her boyfriend Juan Garcia.
Displaying little emotion and still wearing blue hospital scrubs, Tejada was arraigned Tuesday by visiting clerk magistrate Liza Williamson, and only spoke to acknowledge that she understood the charges filed against her. She was transported to the Barnstable County Correctional Facility by two State Troopers assigned to the District Attorney’s office, and will return to Nantucket for a hearing Monday.
The family friend of Tejada and Garcia who wished to remain anonymous said he rushed to the house Monday afternoon and witnessed the girl being taken into the ambulance.
“We’re still not quite sure what happened and we’re still waiting to hear from the police,” he said. “They were a happy family. Nothing seemed to be wrong with them. She’s very loving and protective. To every single one of us, the whole community, it was a shock for everyone.”
Police received several 911 calls around 12:40 p.m. Monday about a girl who had stopped breathing, including one from a person who reported “I think the Mom died, uh, killed to the daughter,” according to court records. After some initial confusion over the location of the residence, Det. Sgt. Tom Clinger and Officer Keith Mansfield arrived at 13 Pine Tree Road and found the girl lying unresponsive on a table inside the residence. They immediately began performing CPR and attempted to gather information from the family before EMTs arrived at the scene.
Nicole Garcia was rushed to Nantucket Cottage Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 1:18 p.m. Island law enforcement officers and Dr. Tim Lepore said the girl had no visible signs of trauma and the cause of death was not apparent. A postmortem X-ray was negative for any apparent broken bones or other injuries. An autopsy will be performed by the state medical examiner’s office.
“I wouldn’t classify it as suspicious at this time,” Det. Lt. Jerry Adams said hours after the initial incident.
But following interviews with Tejada, her family and pastor, as well as observations of her at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, investigators began to believe she may have been responsible for her daughter’s death.
State Police Lt. Christopher Mason interviewed Pastor Carlos Patinovilla, who claimed to have had a conversation with Tejada minutes after her daughter had died.
“Patinovilla stated that D. Tejada told him that she (D. Tejada) was forcing a rose down Nicole’s throat in an effort to ward off the devil,” the police report stated. “Patinovilla stated that D. Tejada then told him she realized the rose was actually her (D. Tejada) fist and that ‘the devil’ bit her (D. Tejada) hand through Nicole. Patinovilla also stated that he observed injuries to D. Tejada’s hand consistent with this action.”
Investigators also noted in the report that several pink-colored roses and petals were discovered on the floor of Tejada’s living room.
Officer Michael Mabardy, who was assigned to observe Tejada at Nantucket Cottage Hospital after she was admitted Tuesday for evaluation, is cited in the police report as having overheard Tejada speaking and hospital staff translating her comments which indicated she may have been responsible for her daughter’s death.
“Ofc. Mabardy stated that according to the translation, D. Tejada said that she (D. Tejada) had stuck a rose down the daughter’s (Nicole Garcia) throat because God had told her to,” the police report stated. “Ofc. Mabardy said that according to the translation he overheard D. Tejada say that she (D. Tejada) did it to the daughter because of the demons that were inside the girl.”
Dora Alicia Tejada Pleitez
the 'rose' she shoved down the baby's throat was in fact her fist.
full story here:
http://www.ack.net/childdeath031411.html
(March 17, 2011) An island mother was charged Tuesday with the murder of her 3-year-old daughter, who was found unresponsive by police and emergency medical technicians a day earlier at the family’s Pine Tree Road home near Nantucket Memorial Airport.
Dora Tejada, 26, was held without bail following a brief arraignment Tuesday afternoon, and will be examined for mental competency before returning to court next week.
First assistant district attorney Brian Glenny declined to comment on the cause of 3-year-old Nicole Garcia’s death or why her mother had been arrested, but court records indicate Tejada may have suffocated her child with her hand or an object, including a rose or a piece of candy.
A police report, which cited interviews with Tejada, members of her family, and a pastor, painted a picture of a mentally disturbed woman who claimed she could speak to the holy spirit, was given a gift from God that allowed her to see dead relatives, and needed to rid her daughter of demons. A family friend, however, described her as a loving, protective mother, and neighbors said they often saw her walking down their rutted dirt road with her children.
Tejada, a member of Nantucket’s sizable El Salvadoran community who worked as a house-cleaner on the island, had two children including Nicole and a younger son, Luis, with her boyfriend Juan Garcia.
Displaying little emotion and still wearing blue hospital scrubs, Tejada was arraigned Tuesday by visiting clerk magistrate Liza Williamson, and only spoke to acknowledge that she understood the charges filed against her. She was transported to the Barnstable County Correctional Facility by two State Troopers assigned to the District Attorney’s office, and will return to Nantucket for a hearing Monday.
The family friend of Tejada and Garcia who wished to remain anonymous said he rushed to the house Monday afternoon and witnessed the girl being taken into the ambulance.
“We’re still not quite sure what happened and we’re still waiting to hear from the police,” he said. “They were a happy family. Nothing seemed to be wrong with them. She’s very loving and protective. To every single one of us, the whole community, it was a shock for everyone.”
Police received several 911 calls around 12:40 p.m. Monday about a girl who had stopped breathing, including one from a person who reported “I think the Mom died, uh, killed to the daughter,” according to court records. After some initial confusion over the location of the residence, Det. Sgt. Tom Clinger and Officer Keith Mansfield arrived at 13 Pine Tree Road and found the girl lying unresponsive on a table inside the residence. They immediately began performing CPR and attempted to gather information from the family before EMTs arrived at the scene.
Nicole Garcia was rushed to Nantucket Cottage Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 1:18 p.m. Island law enforcement officers and Dr. Tim Lepore said the girl had no visible signs of trauma and the cause of death was not apparent. A postmortem X-ray was negative for any apparent broken bones or other injuries. An autopsy will be performed by the state medical examiner’s office.
“I wouldn’t classify it as suspicious at this time,” Det. Lt. Jerry Adams said hours after the initial incident.
But following interviews with Tejada, her family and pastor, as well as observations of her at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, investigators began to believe she may have been responsible for her daughter’s death.
State Police Lt. Christopher Mason interviewed Pastor Carlos Patinovilla, who claimed to have had a conversation with Tejada minutes after her daughter had died.
“Patinovilla stated that D. Tejada told him that she (D. Tejada) was forcing a rose down Nicole’s throat in an effort to ward off the devil,” the police report stated. “Patinovilla stated that D. Tejada then told him she realized the rose was actually her (D. Tejada) fist and that ‘the devil’ bit her (D. Tejada) hand through Nicole. Patinovilla also stated that he observed injuries to D. Tejada’s hand consistent with this action.”
Investigators also noted in the report that several pink-colored roses and petals were discovered on the floor of Tejada’s living room.
Officer Michael Mabardy, who was assigned to observe Tejada at Nantucket Cottage Hospital after she was admitted Tuesday for evaluation, is cited in the police report as having overheard Tejada speaking and hospital staff translating her comments which indicated she may have been responsible for her daughter’s death.
“Ofc. Mabardy stated that according to the translation, D. Tejada said that she (D. Tejada) had stuck a rose down the daughter’s (Nicole Garcia) throat because God had told her to,” the police report stated. “Ofc. Mabardy said that according to the translation he overheard D. Tejada say that she (D. Tejada) did it to the daughter because of the demons that were inside the girl.”
Dora Alicia Tejada Pleitez
![[Image: Zy3rKpW.png]](https://i.imgur.com/Zy3rKpW.png)