A Chicago mother told police that “voices” in her head led her to take the life of her young daughter.
Marisol Vazquez, 37, has been charged with first-degree murder for the death of her 21-month-old daughter, Lucia, on December 20. Police arrived at the scene around 8:30 a.m. to find Vazquez naked on a bed with Lucia behind her... Continue reading here ▶
When paramedics attempted to revive the child, water came out of her mouth, according to a police report. Water and clothing were also found in a bathtub.
Lucia was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital but was pronounced dead.
During questioning, Vazquez made incoherent statements about “being trapped by electronics” and claimed, “We had to go in the water. We had to be with nature.” She was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation and later arrested on January 2.
Police say Vazquez confessed to suffocating Lucia with a bedsheet. She also claimed the voices in her head told her to kill herself and her daughter to protect Lucia from the devil. Vazquez admitted she tried to drown herself but couldn’t and then attempted to harm herself in other ways.
Prosecutors revealed that Vazquez confessed the crime to her sister and asked her not to call the police.
She appeared in court on January 4 and remains in custody at Cook County Jail. She is scheduled to appear in court again on January 7. It is unclear if she has a lawyer to represent her.
