GALVESTON, Texas – A mother was arrested and charged in connection with the death of her 17-month-old daughter on Wednesday, according to Galveston, Texas, officials.
Channel Yonko, 30, has been charged with capital murder. She is accused of dropping her daughter off a three-story balcony at a Galveston hotel.
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KSAT 12′s sister station, KPRC 2 in Houston, identified the child as Hannah Yonko. Channel Yonko is being held in the Galveston County Jail without bond.
The Galveston Police Department said it received reports of an abandoned child around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday at the Beachfront Palms Hotel located in the 5900 block of Seawall Boulevard.
When police arrived, officers said they found a child on the street with three puncture wounds.
Emergency personnel responded to the scene and transported the child to a local hospital where Hannah Yonko was pronounced dead, a news release stated.
Upon further investigation, detectives found a white blanket partially on the sidewalk and the other half on the street. According to court documents, they also found a small pool of blood nearby.
Evidence
Detectives said they found a trash bag in a bin in the hotel’s parking garage with a key card to the room the sisters stayed in, a knife, plastic sand toys, unused diapers and unopened kid snacks.
Officials said they obtained a video that showed the child falling from a third-floor balcony, landing in the grass and rolling onto the concrete sidewalk where the baby was found, the affidavit stated.
An empty stroller was found at The Victorian, a condominium in Galveston.
Child Protective Services confirmed to KPRC 2 that the agency has been previously involved with Channel Yonko.
“This is a horrible crime,” Galveston Police Department Chief Doug Balli stated in the release. “All children deserve to feel safe when around loved ones, especially with their own mother.”
