Manhattan prosecutors painted a grim picture of why a 33-year-old woman threw her 19-month-old daughter into the Hudson River earlier this week. ADA Robert Hettleman explained that Devi Silvia "said she was sad and lonely and angry at her husband, and that she did this horrific act on purpose. She made clear that she threw her baby into the freezing river in order to get back at her husband."
The Post reports, "The family had only been in the U.S. a few years, and in that time had traveled, due to the husband's work, to Chicago, California and New York City." After throwing her child Jessica into the river on Tuesday morning, Silvia also jumped into the river by 70th Street.
Two passers by saw the pair in the water and called 911; NYPD and FDNY boats quickly managed to scoop them up. First responders were able to revive Jessica, who suffered significant hypothermia. Hettleman said, "The baby was in critical condition and had to be taken to a trauma center in Manhattan. The child is stable now, and seems to be OK although we won't know the extent of any long term damage for a while, if any," he said.
Silvia, who faces charges to attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of a child, did not enter a plea and was seen via a video link from Elmhurst Hospital. A judge agreed that Silvia should be held without bail and ordered that she undergo a psych exam and stay away from her daughter.
