The adorable toddler who was allegedly left for dead by her mother on the side of a road in Texas was seen on surveillance footage falling from the third floor of a hotel where she had been staying with the mother.
Channel Yonko, 30, of Houston, was charged with murder in the death of her 17-month-old daughter, Hannah Yonko, who was found Wednesday in Galveston with three stab wounds to her back, court documents show.
The child was discovered around 9:45 a.m. by a man near Seawall Boulevard, between the Beachfront Palms Hotel and a Kroger supermarket.
When police arrived on the scene, they found Hannah bleeding and unresponsive, according to a court file reviewed by KHO 11.
Hannah was rushed to the UTMB Galveston Trauma Center, where she later died, while her mother was arrested and booked into jail.
Hannah Yonko, the 17-month-old girl found on the side of the road in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday morning, was seen on surveillance footage falling from the third floor of a hotel where she had been staying with her mother.
Hannah’s mother, Channel Yonko, 30, of Houston was charged with murder in her daughter’s death
Surveillance footage showed little Hannah falling from the hotel’s third floor onto the grass and rolling onto the concrete, where she was later discovered.
Police now believe Channel deliberately dropped her daughter from the hotel balcony, investigators said.
Brandon Urbina, the man who found the helpless child, told the story VOS26: ‘I never thought I would come across something like this.
‘I was coming down the street and saw a little kid’s blanket.
“As I drove a little further, I saw a bit of curly hair.”
Urbina said that when he first saw the toddler, he saw that she was bruised and bleeding from her nose.
When first responders arrived on the scene, Hannah was still showing “signs of life” but was in urgent need of medical attention, Galveston police said.
On Thursday, investigators said they interviewed Channel’s sister, who said the mother and daughter were staying at the Beachfront Palms Hotel while visiting her.
Channel Yonko during her court appearance Thursday
Her sister said Channel, who had sole care for her toddler at the time, wanted to check out of the hotel with her daughter that morning.
During that time, Channel’s sister left the hotel and went to The Victorian Hotel to meet her fiancé, she told investigators.
Channel then arrived at the second hotel with an empty stroller, and although her sister did not see the child, she did not think the child was not inside.
Her sister then told Channel they should go back to The Beachfront Palms Hotel to retrieve their belongings, but the mother refused, according to police.
Surveillance footage showed little Hannah falling from the hotel’s third floor onto the grass and rolling onto the concrete, where she was later discovered. Police now believe that Channel (photo) deliberately dropped her daughter
Investigators later found a key card to the mother and daughter’s room, a skinning knife, unused diapers, beach toys and unopened children’s snacks in a trash can in the hotel’s underground parking garage.
Authorities also discovered surveillance footage of Channel pushing a stroller in the hotel lobby as a child’s foot visibly moved inside.
During a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, GPD Chief Doug Balli said the incident was “absolutely not a natural death.”
Investigators are seen examining the area where Hannah was found. The toddler was rushed to the UTMB Galveston Trauma Center, where she later died
When police arrived on the scene, on the road between The Beachfront Palms Hotel and a Kroger supermarket (pictured), they found Hannah bleeding and unresponsive.
‘This is a terrible crime. All children deserve to feel safe when they are around loved ones, especially their own mothers,” Balli said.
Her specific cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
Channel appeared in court Thursday morning and was denied bail. She requested a court-appointed attorney.