NYC mom charged in bathtub death of 6-year-old daughter was baptizing the girl: prosecutors

A disturbed Brooklyn mom who was busted after her 6-year-old daughter was found dead in her bathtub told police she “was baptizing her daughter,” prosecutors said in court Sunday.Karla Espinal, 26, — who was ordered held without bail — allegedly made the shocking claim after cops found little Madelyn Tavarez submerged with blood clots in her eyes in the family’s Highland Park home on Friday, according to police.The blood clots suggest the girl fought to stay alive, sources told The Post.According to court records, Madelyn’s relative described the horrifying scene.“[Police were] informed by [the relative] that, at the above time and place, the defendant did submerge Madelyn Tavarez under water in a bathtub, and that Madelyn Tavarez was not moving,” a criminal complaint filed by the Brooklyn DA’s office said.“The deponent states that the defendant stated, in sum and substance, ‘I was baptizing my daughter.'”Espinal is now under psychiatric evaluation and on suicide watch, prosecutors said.The girl, who sources said was likely underwater for as long as 20 minutes, was rushed to Brookdale University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Madelyn’s father, Jorge Tavarez, told police his young daughter was alive and well just on hour earlier.Tavarez, who wore a surgical mask in court, was arraigned on second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child charges.Prosecutors said they are waiting for the results of an autopsy, which will determine if Espinal could face additional charges in the tragic incident.

Neighbors told The Post Saturday that they were shocked by Espinal’s arrest, and said she and her daughter always seemed to be part of a happy family.Relatives declined to comment in court on Sunday....