By Alex Robinson
ELMHURST — The mother of an 11-month-old boy, who was found dead in her Elmhurst apartment, was arrested Monday after she allegedly admitted to authorities that she suffocated the child, police said.
“I reached my breaking point, I didn’t want him anymore,” Nicole Kelly, 22, allegedly told police, according to the Queens district attorney’s office.
The baby, identified as Kiam Felix Jr., was not breathing when police arrived at the home after responding to a 911 call Sunday afternoon, according to cops.
The young mother allegedly covered Kiam’s face with a bed sheet and watched him struggle to breathe before leaving him alone for 30 minutes, the DA’s office said.
The boy was blue and unresponsive by the time she returned to him, according to the DA’s office.
After she was questioned by the NYPD, Kelly was charged with second-degree murder, police said.
A lawyer representing the toddler’s family said relatives wanted to thank those who offered their thoughts and prayers for Kiam and called Kelly “troubled.”
“We are devastated, confused and saddened by this unimaginable tragedy,” attorney Brian King wrote in a statement on behalf of the baby’s father and other family members. “Little Kiam was less than a year old and had everything to look forward to in life. He was beautiful and beloved by all.”
The city’s medical examiner’s office had not determined the official cause and manner of Kiam’s death as of Wednesday evening.
