RICHMOND HILL, Queens (WABC) — A mother is now charged with murder after police say she confessed to killing her daughter, 5-year-old Fabiana Cabello.
Francis Cabello, 32, is facing a murder charge in the death of her young daughter after she apparently admitted to killing her child in a 911 call.
The little girl, Fabiana, was found unresponsive inside a home on 110th Street in Richmond Hill on Wednesday night.
Police say they made the discovery just before 7 p.m. after responding to a 911 call by the girl’s mother.
Authorities said Francis reportedly stated to the 911 operator, “I killed my daughter.”
When officers arrived, they found the mother downstairs. She told the officers, “She’s upstairs, not breathing.”
Police said they found the girl in a bedroom, bleeding from her nose and mouth. She died at Jamaica Hospital just before 7:30 p.m.
While the medical examiner will determine a cause of death, police officials are investigating the death as a homicide.
Fabiana’s grandfather, Franklin Cabello, said he was home at the time and did not know what had happened until police came through his door around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“She was in the bedroom, closed the door. We saw nothing,” Franklin Cabello said.
Francis was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Relatives said she has a history of mental illness.
“The mother has mental problems. On medication,” Franklin Cabello said.
Neighbors remembered Fabiana as a happy child who spent time playing outside.
“All summer. They used to play around here, running around, riding a bicycle, scooter,” one neighbor said. “Always happy.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
A 5-year-old girl died after an assault was reported to police in Richmond Hill, Queens, on Wednesday night.
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