Mother detained in infant death, son's injuries

A Southern California mother has been jailed in the death of her infant daughter and injuries suffered by her young son when he was allegedly dropped from a second-floor landing at her apartment building.

The Upland Police Department says 24-year-old Tierra Ortega has been booked for investigation of homicide, attempted homicide and child abuse resulting in death.

Police say a neighbor saw the woman drop her 1½-year-old son off the landing yesterday morning, and when officers arrived they saw the woman jump.

The infant girl was not breathing when officers found her inside an apartment. She died at a hospital.

Ortega suffered facial injuries when she jumped. Capt. Marcelo Blanco said she was booked into jail after being medically cleared. A mug shot shows her face swollen and scraped.

The boy is hospitalized in stable condition with a broken foot and other minor injuries.

Blanco says the motive isn’t yet known.

Upland is a small city about an hour's drive east of Los Angeles.