A New York woman who used to work for the New York City Administration for Children’s Services is now being investigated for the 2008 death of one of her children after she was arrested Monday for allegedly throwing her newborn daughter out the window of her boyfriend’s Bronx, N.Y., apartment, the New York Post reports.
In 2008 the Westchester County, N.Y., medical examiner determined that Jennifer Berry’s 17-day-old baby succumbed to sudden infant death syndrome, but because of this week’s homicide, investigators are taking a second look at the case.
“In light of what’s transpired, we will be reviewing the case again,” Westchester County District Attorney spokesman Lucian Chalfen said, according to the Post.
Berry, 33, of Yonkers, was charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter this week after she allegedly threw her newborn baby girl out of her boyfriend’s bathroom window after giving birth in the shower. Berry claimed that the baby was stillborn, but the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide after concluding that the infant was still alive when she was thrown out the window.
“The cause of death is multiple blunt-force injuries,” New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Barbara Sampson said, according to the Post.
The building superintendent’s wife discovered the baby at 2:45 p.m. when she was taking out the trash.
Berry’s boyfriend, 28-year-old Giovanni Johnson, reportedly was not certain that Berry was pregnant. Johnson reportedly discovered her sitting in the shower next to a pool of blood, but Berry said it was just her menstrual cycle, according to the report. Johnson said that when he asked if she was pregnant, she told him she’d had an abortion.
“I suspected she was pregnant, but I didn’t know for sure,” Berry’s mother told the Post. “I’ve been waiting for her to say something to me.”