Cops: Coney Island Girl Who Survived Fall From Window Had Signs Of Abuse, Drugs
The 7-year-old girl who survived a plunge from a six-story window at the Gravesend Houses in Coney Island last week had signs of abuse, leading to the arrest Wednesday of her stepmother.
Diana Metellus, 19, was charged with assault and child endangerment charges, after investigators determined that the girl has been whipped, leaving belt marks on her arms.
Last Wednesday, the girl had been reported missing after she and her mother got into an argument. Just 20 minutes after being reported, the girl was found wandering the streets and returned to her mother. Cops raced back to the scene just hours later, though, responding to a call that the girl had fallen outside the Gravesend Housing project (3194 Bay View Avenue). They found the girl in a patch of grass outside the building suffering from from injuries to her head and lungs.
Additionally, it was revealed earlier this week that the girl appeared to have traces of methadone, marijuana and heroin, in her bloodstream, as well as possible signs of sexual abuse.
Authorities charged Metellus with endangering a child by leaving her by herself with an open window and no window guards.
DNAinfo reports that the stepmom admits to hitting the girl after she was returned to her by police, but she and relatives say they don’t know how drugs got into her system and deny any knowledge of sexual abuse.
Metellus, the girl and the girl’s father are not Brooklyn residents, reports the Daily News. They live in Fort Meyers, Florida, and were visiting relatives in the Gravesend Houses.
