By
The Associated Press
MESA, Ariz. - An illegal immigrant from Mexico was arrested and held of suspicion of having shaken her 6-month-old daughter so hard the girl died.
The infant, Vanessa, was taken off life support Tuesday night.
Leticia Reyes-Corral, 29, who came to Arizona about 10 years ago, was accused of having shaken the baby hard enough to cause brain swelling, retinal hemorrhaging and death.
She was arrested a short time after the infant's death. Charges were said to be pending.
According to court records, Reyes-Corral said her daughter fell off a bed inside her apartment Sunday morning. She said she drove her daughter to Mesa General Hospital, where officials ordered the child flown to Phoenix Children's Hospital.
Reyes-Corral allegedly told doctors she shook the baby but only in an effort to revive her.
Reyes-Corral's roommate, Imelda Valdiviezo, who has a son, said the baby hit the floor just inches from her head. She also said Reyes-Corral shook the child in an effort to revive her.
The family phoned Reyes-Corral's parents in Pueblo Yaqui, Mexico, who were granted a seven-day visa and arrived shortly before the infant was disconnected from life support.
"She was crying and kept telling her daughter, 'Don't leave me. I don't want you to leave me. Don't leave me alone,'" said Theresa Corral, Reyes-Corral's mother. "She didn't think she did anything wrong."
