Tierra Ortega, 24-years-old, has been identified as the Upland, California woman who allegedly threw an infant boy off of a two-story balcony before jumping off the same balcony herself.
In addition to the 1-year-old son that was thrown from the apartment, police found an unresponsive 6-or-7-month old girl inside the residence located in the 600 Block of N. Wedgewood Avenue. The young girl was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Upland Police Captain Marcelo Blanco said that the infant died of a “skull fracture and some internal injuries.”
Ortega, who is now facing murder charges, was taken to the hospital to have her injuries treated. Additionally, her 1-year-old son was treated for a broken foot.
Ortega has since been officially charged with suspicion of homicide, attempted homicide, and two felony counts of child abuse.
At the time of this writing, police were still working to determine a motive.
“We’re still trying to piece those parts together to in a sense (determine) what would cause someone to, if you will, throw their children from a second-story landing?” Upland police Capt. Marcelo Blanco told reporters.
According to the building manager, Ortega has lived in the Wedgewood Avenue complex for the past year.
Michelle Furlong, a neighbor of Ortega’s, told KTLA that she is “heartbroken.”
“My heart is broken because they’re two innocent kids,” Furlong said.
Additionally, police say that the father of the two children was not at the residence at the time of the tragic incident.
Tonight police are charging 24 yo old Tierra Ortega with homicide & attempted homicide after they say she tossed her young son off a 2nd story landing & killed her baby girl. This is her DMV photo & her booking photo after she threw herself face first down concrete stairs @CBSLA pic.twitter.com/6XMZlf9Dn9
— Nicole Comstock (@ComstockNEWS) February 27, 2019
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