A 35-year-old Gilroy woman was arrested on suspicion of murder Nov. 3, in connection with the drowning death of her toddler daughter in a bathtub, according to police.
About 11:30am Nov. 3, Gilroy Police received a 911 call from a woman who stated she had drowned her 2-year-old child in the bathtub of her home, police said. Officers responded to the residence on the 7900 block of Westwood Drive.
Once inside the residence, officers reported they found a lifeless child in a bathtub filled with water, according to authorities. Officers removed the child and began to perform emergency first aid. Medics from Gilroy Fire Department and Rural Metro arrived and also tried to revive the child.
The child was transported to Saint Louise Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to police.
The child’s mother, Marcie Montelongo, 35, was located by a Gilroy Police officer near the intersection of Miller Avenue and First Street, police said. The woman told the officer that she had just killed her daughter, according to police reports.
Montelongo was arrested and booked at Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of murder.Â
She is expected to appear for her arraignment—her first court appearance—at the San Jose Hall of Justice Nov. 6, according to prosecutor Angela Bernhard, Supervisor of the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Homicide Unit. Bernhard said Monday that Montelongo had not yet been charged with a crime.Â
Gilroy Police along with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and the Medical Examiner-Coroner were involved with the investigation, as required by the county’s Child Death Protocol.
The investigation into the child’s death was ongoing Nov. 4 police said. Anyone with information about the case can contact Gilroy Police Det. Chris Silva at (408) 846-0335.
