A City Heights woman accused of trying to drown her baby was a protective mother before “something went wrong in her mind” according to a family member.
Whitney Holman is being held on $1 million bail, charged with attempted murder and child cruelty for allegedly trying to drown her daughter in a bathtub on May 10.
Holman, 22, was the only person home when she called 911 to report that her baby had nearly drowned.
The infant was transported to Rady Children’s Hospital in critical condition.
On Tuesday, Judge David Szumowski upheld the bail amount and denied a defense motion to allow Holman visitation with her 9-month old baby.
The defendant’s aunt, Christy Turner, was there when her niece’s baby was born.
She would not provide specifics about her niece’s mental state but told NBC 7 San Diego that the young mother had not been taking prescribed medication for two diagnosed conditions.
She said that if it were up to her, she would allow Holman to see her baby or at least know the status of her baby.
“She’s horrified by the whole situation,” Turner said. “She was very protective of her child, very much so.”
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“She was a very hands-on mother, a very good mother,” she said adding that her niece was the one who called 911 for help.
“Even though something went wrong in her mind, she realized…or somehow something clicked,” she said. “This is really tragic for mother and baby and for my family as a whole.”
Turner did not want to release details on the baby's condition.
Holman has no history of child abuse and was cooperative investigators said. Her next court appearance was scheduled for July 3.
