Mother accused of leaving baby in bathtub has court appearance
A Colorado Springs mother suspected of leaving her 9-month-old son in a bathtub of scalding water where he drowned has her first appearance in court Monday morning.
On March 9, Colorado Springs Police arrested Estella Toleafoa, 23, on investigation of felony child abuse in the death of her son Erich Tyler Jr. The boy’s father is a Fort Carson soldier who had been serving in Afghanistan.
According to an arrest affidavit, Toleafoa told police she had left the boy and 2-year-old brother alone in the bathtub while she went out to buy milk at a nearby convenience store.
But instead she went across the street to a liquor store to buy cigarettes and to a restaurant to buy chicken wings, police said.
She is being held on a $150,000 bond. Her surviving son has been placed with a foster family.
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Firefighters who worked overnight prepared to leave as morning crews take over Monday morning. Photo by JOHN PRIETO, THE DENVER POST
