Interrogation video released of Arizona mother charged with smothering child
Jan 12, 2018, 4:09 PM
PHOENIX — The Glendale Police Department released interrogation footage this week of 23-year-old Amber Sagarnaga, who was accused of smothering her child.
In the video, Sagarnaga can be seen in the corner of an interrogation room visibly distraught saying, “She wouldn’t stop crying when we went to sleep so I put that blanket on her.”
According to People Crime, police found that the deceased baby’s diaper was “soiled” and “appeared to have been on for more than a day.”
“She was crying and I didn’t know what she wanted,” Sagarnaga told the dective in the video.
Her daughter, 5-month-old Mary Dias, was put in a separate room on her back as Sagarnaga placed a king size comforter on top of the infant to keep her quiet.
“I usually just put her in the room and leave her there,” said the mother of three. “This time I didn’t go back and check on her.”
Sagarnaga has two other children ages 1 and 2 who were taken into Department of Child Safety custody. The Department of Child Safety has been in contact with the mother since 2015, when it was made aware that she gave birth to a child who tested positive for marijuana.
Sagarnaga, who was arrested last June, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder. Her trial was set to begin Feb. 22.
