On Wednesday afternoon, an emotionally disturbed Francis Cabello grabbed her 5-year-old daughter Fabiana as she innocently played with her toys, took her to an upstairs room of their 110th St. home, closed the door, and asphyxiated her, leaving her wide-eyed child’s cherubic face scratched, with blood coming out of the tot’s nose and mouth.
Forty-five minutes later, the 32-year-old mom — who neighbors described as a doting parent, although they had grown concerned for her well-being of late — emerged from the room and called 911, chillingly telling a dispatcher, “I killed my daughter,” police and prosecutors said.
“I killed my daughter,” she said repeatedly as cops were called to the scene and found the little girl unconscious, lying face-up on a mattress, covered in vomit.
On Thursday, the gaunt, hollow-cheeked Cabello was arrested for murder. Her struggles with mental illness, which led to a long hospitalization and visits to her home by the NYPD, led to the cold-blooded killing that rattled the entire neighborhood.
“It’s a heartbreaking story,” said neighbor Luis Salomon Perez, 60, whose grandchildren often played with Fabiana “It really hurt those neighbors who knew her.”
Here’s what we know about Francis Cabello, and how her mental illness led to this heartbreaking tragedy.
Francis had been struggling with mental illness
When cops showed up at Cabello’s home on Wednesday, they quickly realized they had been there before.
Police sources said Cabello has a history of mental health problems recorded by the NYPD, who have responded to the home at least once.
Earlier this year, police were called to the family’s home and Cabello was taken to a hospital for observation, a police source with knowledge of the case said.
She was not violent during that prior incident, which did not involve the daughter, the source said.
She had been hospitalized before
Her father, Franklin Cabello, admitted that Francis had spent several months in Jamaica Hospital’s psychiatric unit earlier this year, prompting him to keep an eye on her, he told Spectrum News NY1.
It was not immediately clear if Cabello’s months-long hospitalization was connected to the NYPD’s visit to her home.
His granddaughter Fabiana, he said, “Was very intelligent, very important to the family.”
“My daughter, she loved her 100%,” he said about Fabiana. “I can’t believe this.”
Francis seemed fine — at first
To those who knew and loved her, Francis appeared fine and never raised any red flags.
Francis’ ex-boyfriend and Fabiana’s father, Kuldeep Singh, described his ex as a loving mom he never would have suspected to be involved in the girl’s death.
“I never see anything in her actions to cause concern,” Singh said. “She cared for her so much. When I took my daughter, she called me many times to check on her, like, ‘Everything OK? Any problems?’”
Neighbors started growing concerned
About six months ago, Perez said he noticed a change in Francis’ behavior.
“She used to come around to take her daughter to school — and then, from one moment to another, she stopped coming out,” he said.
“She was a good mother, but she was suffering from depression. I even spoke to her sister about it, how she was acting depressed, hardly ever leaving the house, not even taking the child to school or out to play anymore.”
Francis may have gone off her medication
Family members believe Francis may have gone off her prescribed medication, causing her to become more erratic.
She told her father that her doctor said she could stop taking her medications, but the dad didn’t believe her and felt she was acting strange, NY 1 reported.
“We think that (she) had mental problems,” Franklin Carabello said. “She takes medication, and she left the medication.”
Not clear if the city stepped in to help
Besides the visit by police earlier this year, it wasn’t immediately clear if any other city agencies had offered to help Francis with her struggles.
When reached Friday, the city’s Administration for Children’s Services refused to say if they had stepped in on Fabiana’s behalf or had any prior contact with the family, claiming that state law bars them from releasing such confidential information.
“Our top priority is the safety and well-being of New York City children,” an ACS spokesperson said. “We are investigating this tragedy with the NYPD.”
While Francis had received help and had a large support system, New York City has struggled with the care and treatment of the mentally ill for years. The shutdown of large-scale psychiatric institutions left a void in the system, as the community-based care network that was supposed to fill the gap is widely seen as inadequate and underfunded.
The long road ahead
After being charged with murder on Friday, Francis, dressed in a white Tyvek suit and appearing confused at court, said nothing as she was ordered held without bail for her daughter’s death.
Her defense attorney asked that she be put on suicide watch and undergo a new psychological evaluation in preparation for her next court hearing.
Speaking Friday outside court, Franklin Cabello said his daughter would be OK again if she went back on her medication.
“With more medication, my daughter will get better,” Cabello’s father said as he fought back tears. “I’m hoping the judge takes into consideration her mental health.”
But nothing can bring Fabiana back.
“She might be facing a long time,” he said after watching the brief arraignment proceeding. “My family is crushed.”