A 20-year-old mom from Colorado allegedly jumped off of the OYO Hotel roof in New York's Times Square on Tuesday night, following an altercation with her 24-year-old boyfriend. Police were responding to a 911 call reporting an assault at the hotel when they discovered her body. An investigation showed there was an altercation in the hotel room where an 8-month-old girl was present.
The mother, Dezirae Andersen, was allegedly repeatedly punched by her boyfriend, according to authorities, and the fight spilled out from their hotel room into the hallway, per the New York Post. The 24-year-old male, identified as Tyler Griffen, allegedly threw the baby down a flight of stairs. The infant was reportedly caught by a hotel guest. The mother was pronounced dead and the man has been taken into custody.
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Sources reportedly said ‘all hell broke loose in the room’ before the mom jumped off of the roof.
Police received multiple calls about a disruption coming from a room on the 10th floor of the OYO hotel in Times Square followed by a call reporting the roof jump, according to the Daily Mail.
A source allegedly told the Post that “All hell broke loose in the room.” Authorities found Andersen and Griffen's hotel room in a state of disarray as evidence of the altercation that took place, per the Daily Mail.
Police believe Andersen went to the hotel roof and jumped; they do not believe she was thrown off by Griffen, the Post reported. She landed on the second-floor scaffolding and was pronounced dead by authorities around 10:30 p.m.
Griffen was reportedly found in an ‘emotionally disturbed state.’
He reportedly had to be shocked with a stun gun in the hotel lobby when police took him into custody, per the Daily Mail, because of his emotional state. Police report that he said, "I remember punching my girlfriend," in a recorded statement, per the Post.
He was initially taken to Bellevue Hospital and has since been charged with assault, reckless endangerment, and behaving in a manner injurious to a child, police said, according to the Post. Griffen’s arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday, the Daily Mail reported.
Miraculously, the 8-month-old infant was OK.
During the fight between the mother and her boyfriend, Griffen allegedly grabbed the baby’s arm in a “forceful manner” and she fell down the stairs to the ninth floor, according to authorities, the Daily Mail reported.
The 8-month-old baby girl was hospitalized for evaluation but did not appear to have suffered any injuries from the fall, the news outlet reported. Child Services is expected to take custody of the infant, authorities said.
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Sadly, this mother's story highlights a common problem many women face.
This mother’s story is devastating and calls attention to the issue of intimate partner violence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, intimate partner violence is any abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship past or present. It can be physical, sexual, or psychological. The site also states that about 1 in 3 women (and about 1 in 4 men) experiences severe physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of domestic abuse, you can find help and support at DVIS.org, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or by contacting your local women's shelter (domesticshelters.org).
