CLEVELAND - A woman arrested in the deaths of her two young daughters after they were found in a water-filled bathtub was a domestic violence victim who had no documented history of neglecting her children.
The father of the two girls, ages 4 and 2, pulled them from the bathtub Monday, where they apparently drowned, police said.
The girls' mother, Amber Hill, 22, was arrested at her apartment for further questioning. No charges had been filed, and she was jailed Monday night.
Hill, who neighbors said was studying to be a nursing assistant, had no record of abusing her children, said Jim McCafferty, director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services.
"We never had a call of any maltreatment of the children," McCafferty said Tuesday. "The kids were clean and well cared for. It's just a sad situation."
In July 2006, the girls' father, Jamie Cintron, 23, pleaded no contest and was found guilty of domestic violence against Hill in Cleveland Municipal Court.
A summons for his arrest states that during an argument with Hill "he started knocking things over, then he said he was leaving with their children, he picked up a hammer and broke the TV with it, then he grabbed her by the neck and shoved her."
Cintron served 26 days in jail and the rest of his six-month sentence was suspended. He was placed on probation for 18 months, ordered to attend a domestic violence counseling program and ordered to have no contact with Hill.
He also was ordered to take a class on parenting skills and permitted to see his children only if a third party was present.
Court records do not indicate if he attended the domestic violence and parenting programs.
In 2004, Cintron had pleaded no contest and was found guilty of domestic violence against Hill in suburban Bedford Municipal Court. He was put on six months' probation.
Deondra Hurt, 19, who lives in the same two-story apartment building, said Hill had taken good care of the children.
"She always had her kids dressed up, with hair done every day," Hurt said. "She took care of them. They were well behaved kids. They played jump rope and would write on the ground with chalk."
Cintron told police he received a call at work from Hill and she told him that the children "are at peace," said Cleveland police Lt. Thomas Stacho.
Cintron told police he went to the apartment and pulled his daughters from the water in the bathtub.
"Both my daughters are laying here dead! Why? Why are my daughters dead?" a weeping Cintron screamed into a telephone while making a 911 emergency call to police.
Hurt said she heard the girls' father screaming and shouting. She later went to the apartment and saw Hill "on a couch, and she was just sitting there. She was a nice girl. It's real sad."
Hill provided only her name, age and address, but would not answer further questions at the apartment, Stacho said. She was calm and showed no emotion when she was taken away by police, he said.
"At this point she's our only suspect," he said.
Stacho said the girls were placed on life support by a city medical services crew and were pronounced dead at MetroHealth Medical Center.
The official cause of death was pending autopsies Tuesday, said Dr. Frank Miller, Cuyahoga County coroner. He was trying to confirm the correct names of the victims. The coroner and police had various spellings of their first names.
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Associated Press writer Joe Milicia in Cleveland contributed to this report.
© 2007 AP Wire and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
Oct. 02, 2007, 'Mother arrested in bathtub deaths of 2 girls, ages 4 and 2' by M.R. KROPKO, Associated Press
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