12
View
comments
'Yes I did it. I threw the baby off': Grandmother Carmela Dela Rosa allegedly admitted the crime to police
A distraught mother today recalled the horrific moment her own mother threw her two-year-old daughter over a balcony to her death.
Mary Kathlyn Ogdoc broke down in tears as she testified against Carmela Dela Rosa, at a preliminary hearing in Fairfax County Court, today.
She bravely told the court how that on November 29 of last year she watched Dela Rosa drop her daughter Angelyn from the elevated bridge in a shopping mall in Fairfax County, Virginia.
The child plunged more than 50ft to the ground from the open walkway that connects the mall to the car park.
She was rushed to hospital with critical injuries after landing head first on the roadway below, but later died.
Tragically Ms Ogdoc said she tried to keep a close eye on her daughter when she was around Dela Rosa because the grandmother had previously tried to commit suicide.
An officer testifying against the grandmother told the court that Dela Rosa had admitted to the crime.
According to the officer Dela Rosa said: 'Yes I did it. I threw the baby off'.
Police said Dela Rosa had been shopping with her husband, daughter and granddaughter at the Tyson's Corner Centre, before the incident last year.
The family were walking back across a walkway to the fifth floor of the car park after spending several hours looking for sale bargains.
Innocent victim: Angelyn Ogdoc plunged more than 50ft to the ground after being tossed over the side of the open walkway. She later died in hospital
Horrified witnesses told police how they saw Dela Rosa grab the youngster and lift her up over a waist-high safety railing running along the walkway.
It is still unclear just why she allegedly picked up the girl and threw her over the side.
And other family members who witnessed the tragedy told police they had 'no reason' why she might have done it.
Drop: Witnesses told police they saw Ms Dela Rosa grab the youngster and lift her up over a waist-high safety railing in Tyson's Corner Centre, Virginia
Russell Jackson, who lives next door to Dela Rosa, said Angelyn's mother would drop her off at her house three to four times a week for babysitting.
He said Angelyn was a beautiful little girl with long, dark hair.
'When I saw the baby she would wave and throw me a kiss,' he said.
He frequently saw Dela Rosa and the child smiling and having fun, adding: 'She always had her little granddaughter in her arms.
'The baby was always happy. She seemed like she loved that baby.'
He said Dela Rosa has a teenage son who attends a local private school, adding: 'She had her son in a good school. They are good people.'
A judge today sent the case to a grand jury.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2BdIGXbmdpZ4SarrOy1KVkpqeknbKzecOeqpyqmZeytHnHqKmroZaesG65zqacp6xdl66jxYytn6unp6N6pbHArZ9mmpGhsLC62Gaeq5membqwwMeeqWegpKK5