Following a five-month investigation, detectives have declared the death of a 1-year-old Flushing girl — who was allegedly beaten by her mother — to be a homicide.
According to a report, police announced that the City Medical Examiner’s office determined that Tina Torabi’s daughter Elaina had died from “fatal child abuse syndrome.”
“The term ‘fatal child abuse syndrome’ is used when a child sustains injuries over a period of time,” said Chief Medical Examiner Doctor Barbara Sampson.
Back in October 2018, police arrested and charged Torabi with assault in the first degree, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of her infant twins. The attack resulted in Elaina’s death, while her son Keon was hospitalized in critical condition.
According to the Queens District Attorney’s office, Tina Torabi is scheduled to appear in court on March 8. Additional charges are pending the results of the ongoing investigation. If she’s charged with murder, Torabi faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
“The defendant’s alleged actions are incomprehensible,” Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in an Oct. 5 statement. “Unfortunately, her 13-month-old son suffered greatly in his short life. An investigation is ongoing with respect to the death of her daughter.”
Officers from the 111th Precinct responded to the Torabis’ home on Ashby Avenue near Auburndale Lane on the night of Oct. 3, 2018, and found the twins with severe bodily trauma. They reported that Elaina was “unconscious and unresponsive” and was later pronounced dead at Flushing Hospital.
Paramedics also rushed Keon to Cohen Children’s Hospital, where he was treated for “multiple acute rib fractures, contusions on his lungs, an acute fractured pelvis, a visible healing bite mark, an acute left spiral tibia fracture and adrenal hemorrhage,” the district attorney’s office noted.
Tina shared the Flushing home with her estranged husband Mohammed, who reportedly jumped to his death outside the Renaissance Hotel in Manhattan. She claimed that it was Mohammed who had beaten the children and the New York Post reported that he had a history of violence.
When the Torabis lived in Texas, Mohammed was charged with choking his wife and biting his children — a report consistent with the bite marks found on Keon.
The Torabis were also parents to three other young children who were taken into ACS custody five months ago. A report said that the five children were also removed from their home in 2017 and sent to live with their grandmother but were returned after no evidence of drug use was found.
QNS reached out to ACS to inquire about the current status of the Torabi children.
“Our top priority is protecting the safety and wellbeing of all children in New York City. We rigorously investigate cases of possible abuse and neglect. This case is under investigation, and we are not permitted by law to provide additional details, in order to protect the privacy and safety of the children and family involved,” said ACS spokesperson Chanel Caraway.
Story updated on March 5 at 5:07 p.m.
