Minnesota – A Minnesota woman was taken into custody charged with second-degree murder in the death of her chiId, 1-year-old D. DeIgado, after police and prosecutors reviewed initial reports and statements from family members and investigators. The parent, 23-year-old M. Yong, was taken into custody and booked into the county jail on a $1.5 million bond following the fatal incident at a home in Minnesota.
Police began investigating the case after officers were called to the family’s residence last week on a report that a small child was not breathing. When officers arrived, they found the child unresponsive on the living room floor. First responders attempted life-saving measures before the child was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Officers also found the child inside the home, where she was suffering from medical distress following an apparent suicide attempt. She was transported to a hospital under police supervision before being released and taken to jail later that day.
According to the criminal complaint, the mother had attended a court hearing earlier that same day in which a judge granted temporary cusstody of the child to the child’s father, Erik. Family members told investigators that after returning home from the hearing, the mom took her child and went upstairs to a bedroom. The defendant’s father became concerned when the bedroom door was locked for some time and then forced it open. Inside, he found the child on the floor, with her Iips turning bIue. He then grabbed the child and ran downstairs to call 911.
During an interview after being read her Miranda rights, the mom admitted to investigators that she put a significant amount of a sIeeping piIIs into her child’s bottIe and then fed it to her. She told police that she hoped the dose would be lethaI and that her daughter would “pass peacefuIIy” in her sIeep. Prosecutors stated that the mother said she did this because she wanted to reIieve the child’s perceived pain, according to the criminal complaint.
The parent’s statements to investigators were included in formal charging documents filed by the County Attorney’s Office, which brought the second-degree murder charge. Second-degree murder in Minnesota generally means intentionally causing the death of another person without premeditation, and it carries a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
Investigators also learned that concerns about the woman’s behavior and mental state predated the fatal incident. Court records indicate that the child’s father had previously sought permanent custody of the child in Sept. last year and earlier this month filed an emergency motion for sole temporary custody, alleging that the child had been acting erratically and might have untreated mental health issues. The judge scheduled a custody hearing, which took place last week, leading to the temporary custody decision that day.
In the days before the incident, the local police department issued an endangered missing persons alert after the mother and the child had not been heard from by family for nearly a week. That alert was later canceled after the pair were located safe, but the situation contributed to investigators’ concerns about the family’s welfare.
The defendant is scheduled to appear in court again in February 2026 for further proceedings as the legal process moves forward. Prosecutors are expected to continue evaluating all evidence and statements gathered during the investigation as they prepare the case for trial.
