A mother said she physically abused her young daughter before finding her face down in a bathtub, according to Montgomery County Police.
Iris Hernandez Rivas, 20, originally told investigators her 4-year-old daughter turned on the shower and after 15 to 20 minutes, she heard a loud sound. That’s when she discovered the girl unresponsive in the bathtub. Hernandez Rivas said she waited an hour before calling 9-1-1.
However, doctors determined the little girl’s head injuries were consistent with child abuse, and she had several bruises on her body.
The child remains in critical condition at Children’s National Medical Center in D.C.
Hernandez Rivas told police more details after they brought her in for an interview the day after the incident.
She said she kicked her daughter in the abdomen for not brushing her teeth and the little girl hit her head on a wall, according to police. Hernandez Rivas also told detectives she whipped the child with a belt several days prior.
Hernandez Rivas is charged with one count of first-degree child abuse and one count of first-degree assault. She’s being held without bond.
