FLORIDA — (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office / News Release / Video Below) — On Monday, August 8, 2016, deputies responded to a call of a two-week-old infant who had suffered cardiac arrest.

According to detectives, when deputies arrived on scene they learned the baby, Kathleen Bridget Steele (07/26/2016), was transported by ambulance to St. Petersburg General Hospital where she was pronounced deceased.

Detectives interviewed the child’s mother, 62-year-old Kathleen Marie Steele (05/15/1954), who told investigators that she had previously been out running errands with the infant and her two sons, and when she returned home she realized her daughter was unresponsive. She noticed the baby was purple in the face and proceeded to bring the baby in the house from the car. Steele then called a neighbor who is a registered nurse and lives on the same street. The neighbor responded, began CPR and called 911 until fire rescue responded.

Detectives and Child Protection Investigators began conducting an investigation into the baby’s death. Through their continued investigation, detectives determined that the infant sustained severe head trauma that included extensive bruising and multiple skull fractures.

Through various investigative techniques, detectives determined that the infant’s injuries were sustained while being left unattended in the car for more than 30 minutes with her two brothers. The mother had stopped at a cell phone repair store located at 1472 66th Street North in St. Petersburg, and in doing so she locked the children in the car, rolled the windows up and turned the vehicle off while she conducted business in the store.

Detectives say the infant’s six-year-old brother admitted and described how he removed his sister from her car seat, slammed her head onto the ceiling, banged her head on the floor and dropped her numerous times, which ultimately led to the baby’s death while his mother was in the cell phone store.

Detectives arrested Kathleen M. Steele on Thursday, August 11, 2016 at about 4:50 p.m. and charged her with Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child.

The boys were placed in separate therapeutic foster care.

The investigation continues.

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