A Florida mother is behind bars after police say she killed her special needs daughter in a hospital room last month.
On Tuesday morning, the Pensacola Police Department announced the arrest of Jessica Bortle, 34. She’s been charged with manslaughter.
Bortle’s daughter, 14-year-old Jasmine Singletary, was born with a neuromuscular disorder. On July 8, she was taken to the Ascension Sacred Heart in Pensacola after developing an infection.
On July 13, Jasmine, Bortle, and Bortle’s mother were alone in the room shortly before she passed away. Hospital staff said that the child died despite life-saving measures, NBC 25 reports.
On July 21, autopsy results indicated that the victim had “major internal injuries to her ribs and liver.” The injuries were not there when she was admitted to the hospital. Police said the injuries “had to have occurred while Jasmine was confined to her hospital bed.”
“The Medical Examiner indicated that the injuries were so severe that Jasmine would have died only minutes after receiving them,” police said.
Security footage reportedly caught the moment Bortle left the hospital room. She was “shaking and flexing her hand as if in pain,” according to the police report.
Although Bortle initially denied doing anything to her daughter, she ultimately admitted that she “slammed the hospital table into Singletary’s abdomen and then leaned onto the table with her weight.”
Bortle allegedly added that she became upset when her daughter started cursing at her about Crayon colors.
Police arrested Bortle and booked her into the Escambia County Jail. So far, there is no immediate information on Bortle’s mother and whether she will face charges.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Jessica Bortle/Escambia County SO]
