From the day her son was born, Neha Patel said, she hated him. That hatred reached a fatal level. Investigators said Patel slapped Ishan, her 1-year-old son, then purposefully left him alone to drown in a bathtub half full of water at home. Click below to read the rest of the story.
When she returned 10 minutes later and found him unconscious, she refused to perform CPR, even though she knew the procedure, the sheriff’s office said.
Patel, 32, was arrested early Friday afternoon by Tampa International Airport Police, who found her sitting in her Toyota Sienna van in the airport parking lot. She told investigators she planned to jump off the parking garage roof, but every time she attempted to commit suicide someone walked by.
She is now charged with first-degree murder.
Investigators are looking into whether Patel was suffering from post-partum depression. She told deputies she “hated” her baby since the day he was born and blamed him for her “state of mind.”
Pam Crain, a Polk County Health Department spokeswoman, said post-partum depression, which is a chemical, hormonal imbalance, can be moderate to severe shortly after giving birth. It affects 10 to 15 percent of women, she said.
Symptoms include negative feelings about the baby, irritability and anxiety, Crain said. Family members should watch for signs of stress and fatigue, she said.
