Myra Otsie Santiago. (Mugshot: Volusia County Jail)
After her toddler son drowned in a nearby retention pond, a woman allegedly tried to rope her neighbor into a cover story about the events from the night before.
Myra Otsie Santiago, 22, is charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and neglect of a child, records show. Cops in Ormond Beach, Florida, claim she left Aziryh Santiago, 3, alone in her apartment for hours, and she failed to properly lock the residence although she knew that he could escape and he had done so numerous times before.
According to a press statement and charging affidavit, officers said they responded Sunday at approximately 1:44 p.m. to a report of a drowned toddler. A male resident of the apartment complex had security cameras that recorded Aziryh running past his door at approximately 6:46 a.m. and then in the area behind his apartment next to the pond a minute later.
"The video shows A.S. walking around with what appears to be a tablet with a blue case," police wrote. "A.S. was seen looking around and then ran directly towards the pond when the video ends."
Defendant Santiago claimed she left her son with the neighbor across from her on the third floor Saturday night at around 10 to 11 p.m.
"Myra advised she went to Daytona beach board walk with a friend and walked around," officers wrote.
She allegedly claimed to return between 1 and 2 a.m., picked up her son from the neighbor, and put the child to bed at her apartment.
As he did every day, Aziryh came into her room at 6 a.m. for his tablet, returned to his room and laid down for a while, she told police.
"Myra advised that he will then later come and get her for breakfast. And this is a regular routine for A.S.," police wrote.
But Myra said she woke up at 1:45 p.m. and noticed her son was not in the apartment. She looked for him and contacted an officer after seeing crime scene tape.
According to cops, a 15-year-old friend of hers said he stayed with her frequently and was with her the night before. He told deputies the same story she did, but police noticed inconsistencies, including where he slept. He said he was on the couch, and Santiago said he was in the bed with her.
"JB advised that Myra notice[d] that AS was missing after she took a shower," police wrote. "The inconsistency with that was that Myra advised that JB had taken a shower, and she did not."
Police noted that there were no child safety locks at Santiago's apartment.
"I asked Myra later about this, she advised that A.S. has escaped several times from the apartment and that she has found him on the stairs before," police wrote. "Myra advised she enquired with the maintenance staff about a child safety lock, and they told her if she purchased the lock they would install it. Myra advised she did not have the funds available to pay for the lock. It should be noted that there was over $100 dollars cash seen laying on Myra's dresser as well as numerous glass smoking pipes, marijuana, e-cigarettes and several bottles of alcohol in the freezer. There was plenty of evidence to show that Myra had the funds to purchase the lock, but failed to do so."
Santiago's female neighbor, who described herself as not a friend and just an acquaintance, told investigators she never watched Aziryh before, let alone on Saturday night. She said that Santiago messaged her at approximately 2:57 p.m. on Sunday.
The alleged messages:
- "Can you tell the Police you watched Aziryh last night"
- "Its important girl"
- "I'm going through so much right now"
- "I came and got him from your place ar [sic] 2 or 3"
- "Ill tell you later about everything I'm freaking out"
Police said she provided screenshots of the Facebook conversation.
In a post-Miranda interview with police, Santiago told the same story as before, but when confronted with the text messages she allegedly sent the neighbor, she said she was not sure about the neighbor's story and said the woman was mad at her. The officer asked if she messaged the neighbor at any point Sunday.
"Myra said why are you asking me things you already know," police said. "I advised her I wanted the truth. Myra advised that she no longer wished to talk about the incident and wanted to leave. I advised [her] she was not free to leave at this time. Myra asked to make a phone call. Myra called her mother and began telling her that she was going to jail. Her mother asked why and she advised her mother it was because she left A.S. alone in the apartment."