UNIONTOWN, Pa. — Police said a child was being pushed out of an apartment window while another was being drowned in a bathtub. The woman accused of this is out on bond, and the District Attorney said the kids are lucky to be alive.
“We are very happy that mom was in the area and was able to become involved and protect the children,” said District Attorney Michael Aubele.
The Fayette County District Attorney said Vira Zabudko is now charged with assaulting two children and their mother in a Uniontown apartment.
According to police, the mother, Karen Garcia, left her kids with Zabadko while she moved a few personal items. When she returned, she found Zabudko trying to push her 5-year-old child out of a third-story window.
Police said, “Vira Zabudko told the child to get into the shower to wash the sins out because he is dirty.”
She’s accused of dunking their heads into an overflowing tub of water.
In Zabudko’s mug shot, you see the numbers ’777′ tattooed on her chest. Channel 11 found that the number has many religious meanings, including the holy trinity or a symbol of perfection and completeness.
“I’m not really sure what her religious status is, but I do not know of any religion that reasonably would think throwing a child out of a window or drowning a child was going to wash somebody of sins,” said District Attorney Aubele.
Police said Garcia and Zabudko started fighting and the kids eventually escaped with their mother and called 911. When police arrived, they found Garcia and the kids soaking wet. Zabudko is now out on bond but has a ‘no contact order’ for the victims. According to the district attorney the kids had no obvious physical injuries but additional charges may be added as the investigation continues.
“It goes without saying that having a 5-year-old child believe that he’s going to be thrown out a window has its own emotional scars that he’ll carry. So we keep that in mind when we prosecute this case,” said District Attorney Aubele.
A preliminary hearing is set for April 9th.
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