ORLANDO, Fla. – A woman has been charged with murder after her son was found dead at a hotel last month in Orlando, Florida.
The Orlando Police Department said Carlisha Anderson, 25, called 911 after 9 p.m. on Nov. 15 from an Intown Suites Extended Stay hotel. According to WFTV, Anderson told dispatchers that she had allegedly suffocated her baby.
Orlando Fire Department personnel responded to the room first and reportedly found Anderson kneeling on the floor, according to WFTV. Anderson had a knife in her stomach. OFD paramedics tried to get Anderson to discard the knife but were unsuccessful, so they waited for police to arrive.
Once officers arrived at the scene, they also tried to get Anderson to throw away the knife, but she allegedly kept stabbing herself with it, according to WFTV.
OPD officers said they had to use tasers on Anderon twice before she ended up throwing the knife away, according to WFTV. Anderson reportedly asked officers to take her to jail.
According to court records obtained by WFTV, fire department officials tended to Anderson’s wounds first and then noticed the body of a child on the bed to where she was kneeling on the floor. Paramedics immediately checked on the child and found that he was not breathing. He was taken to the hospital, where he died just before 10:30 p.m.
Anderson was reportedly also taken to the hospital in critical condition and had surgery for her injuries, according to WFTV.
Anderson allegedly told investigators during an interview at the hospital the following day that she had gone to sleep with the child. When she woke up, she said she noticed he wasn’t talking or moving. Anderson also alleged that she found the baby not breathing and tried to resuscitate him, but was unable to. After being unable to save her child, Anderson allegedly attempted suicide, police said, in court records obtained by WFTV.
A few weeks later on Dec. 1, a medical examiner ruled the child’s death a homicide, according to WFTV. Police have not said how old the child was, but did say he weighed about 28 pounds. Police said that the child was possibly able to roll over or move on his own if he was unable to breathe while he was sleeping.
Investigators said that evidence suggests Anderson purposefully killed her son and allegedly used something that was on the bed, according to WFTV.
According to an arrest report obtained by WFTV, paramedics said they were delayed in caring for the child due to Anderson not wanting to discard the knife, and that delay could have made a difference in trying to save the child.
Anderon has been booked on recommended charges of second-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, aggravated child neglect and aggravated assault on a firefighter and law enforcement officer, according to WFTV. She is being held without bond.
No further information has been released.
