Watch CBS News

Girl, 9, Found Dead In Richmond Hill Home, Family Members Suggest History Of Abuse

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A 9-year-old girl was found dead Friday evening in a home in Richmond Hill, Queens, police said.

The girl's stepmother has been named as a person of interest in her death, according to police sources.

Police and EMS crews were called around 6 p.m. to a home on 112th Street between 95th and 101st avenues in Queens. Officers found the girl unconscious and unresponsive in a first-floor bathroom, police said.

The girl was found in the dry bathtub and did not appear to have suffered any trauma, police sources said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

As CBS2's Valerie Castro reported, police and New York City Medical Examiner's office investigators were still on the scene as of 11 p.m. Friday night.

Family members were with next door neighbors as police in white evidence suits walked in and around the home.

The little girl often complained that her stepmother was abusive, a family member said. That family member identified the girl as Ashdeep Kaur.

"The little one told me always that she sometimes beat her up," Manjinder Singh said. "She was in the tub. There was not water, but she was in the tub. I feel so sad."

Singh said the girl's stepmother hasn't been seen since the girl was discovered.

The Medical Examiner's office will determine the cause of the girl's death.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.