CT woman charged with manslaughter in death of 1-year-old

A Waterbury woman has been charged after a 1-year-old she was caring for last October was found not breathing and was rushed to the hospital where the child died five days later.

Cynthia Hannah, 35, turned herself in Tuesday on five counts of risk of injury to a minor and a single count each of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault and first-degree reckless endangerment, according to the Waterbury Police Department.

Police said the charges stem from an incident on Oct. 5, 2022, when officers responded to a Waterbury apartment on Green Street on the report of a 1-year-old not breathing. The child had been in the care of Hannah, who police identified as a family member. Police also noted that there were other children present at the time.

The 1-year-old was initially taken to Saint Mary’s Hospital before being transported to Yale New Haven Hospital, police said. The toddler was pronounced dead on Oct. 10, 2022, according to police.

In June, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the toddler’s death was a homicide based on “the child’s autopsy and sustained injuries,” Lt. Ryan Bessette of the Waterbury Police Department said in a statement.

Bessette said authorities continued investigating the child’s death and were in contact with the state’s Department of Children and Families throughout.

Investigators obtained a warrant for Hannah’s arrest last week. She was held on $100,000 bond following her arrest Tuesday and was arraigned the next day in Waterbury Superior Court.