Mother of drowned toddler allegedly used water submersion as punishment

The Sunset Park mother of 2-year-old Melody Pheng, who drowned on Sunday, allegedly used water submersion as punishment and admitted to drowning her daughter.

According to prosecutors, Lin Li, 24, said that she put the toddler in a container filled with water before submerging the child’s head until she was unresponsive, DNAinfo reported.

Li allegedly used water submersion as a form of punishment for Melody and her brother, sources said to the New York Daily News in a related article, which added that Li told authorities she was angry with her daughter for urinating on herself.

Bruises on Zheng’s brother’s neck led detectives to suspect that Zheng could have been abused before she died, the Daily News added.

When Zheng was found unconscious by authorities on Sunday shortly before 8:30 p.m., police told DNAinfo that her father was attempting to perform CPR on her.

Zheng was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead a short time later, according to the Daily News.

Li, who was arraigned on Wednesday, faces charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child, DNAinfo stated, adding that her husband has not been charged.

Li is being held without bail, the Daily News added.