DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A Florida woman is accused of locking a bathroom door and holding her toddler’s head underwater in a bathtub until the child lost consciousness, authorities said.
According to Volusia County Department of Corrections online booking records, Karina Mustafa, 29, of Daytona Beach, was arrested on June 7. She was charged with cruelty towards a child - aggravated child abuse, online records show.
According to an arrest report filed by the Daytona Beach Police Department, officers responded to a Daytona Beach home at about 12:45 p.m. EDT on June 7 after receiving a report of a disturbance that “stemmed from the child being found unresponsive in the bathtub by the father.”
The father performed CPR and the baby was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center, where they were listed in stable condition on Monday, according to a Monday news release by the police department. The age of the child was unclear.
— Daytona Beach Police (@DaytonaBchPD) June 10, 2024
In a news release, Daytona Beach police said Mustafa was responsible “for the circumstances leading to the near-drowning.”
The arrest report stated that the child knocked down some potted plants while playing and got muddy and dirty. According to police, Mustafa allegedly said that she would take the child into the street “so he would get run over.”
An argument ensued, police said. According to the arrest report, Mustafa took the child inside a bathroom to clean the dirt off. She began running water and locked the door, police said. Mustafa allegedly refused to open the door while the child’s father asked to enter the room.
According to police, Mustafa allegedly told police that the toddler grabbed her fingers in the bathroom and damaged her nails. She allegedly slapped the child and pushed their face underwater “for no more than one minute” before realizing they had lost consciousness.
Police said that Mustafa opened the door, and the father performed CPR. The child was revived and hospitalized.
“The prompt actions of the child’s father and emergency responders ensured that the child is currently in stable condition and receiving medical care,” Daytona Beach police said in their news release.
Mustafa remains in custody at the Volusia County Jail, online records show.
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