A 38-year-old Albuquerque woman is being held in lieu of $100,000 cash bond in the death of her 9-year-old son.
Synthia Varela-Casaus was arraigned Sunday. She's charged with child abuse resulting in death. Police have not released his name.
A criminal complaint says Varela-Casaus told police she kicked the boy in the stomach and he fell, hitting his head on a dresser and then again on the floor. The complaint said she then kicked him while he was on the floor.
Varela-Casaus told journalists on Saturday that the boy's death was accidental. She said she was disciplining him and "kicked him the wrong way."
Investigators say New Mexico's child welfare agency had the family on its radar because of child abuse allegations before the boy was found dead Friday.
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Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com
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