17-month-old baby dies after mother drops him from Galveston balcony, affidavit says

GALVESTON, Texas – A mother was arrested and charged Wednesday in the death of her 17-month-old daughter, according to authorities in Galveston, Texas.

Channel Yonko, 30, was charged with capital murder. He is accused of dropping his daughter from a three-story balcony of a Galveston hotel.

KSAT 12’s sister station, KPRC 2 Police in Houston identified the child as Hannah Yonko. Channel Yonko is being held without bail in the Galveston County Jail.

The Galveston Police Department said it received reports of an abandoned child at the Beachfront Palms Hotel in the 5900 block of Seawall Boulevard around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday.

When police arrived, officers said they found a child in the street with three puncture wounds.

Emergency personnel responded to the scene and transported the child to a local hospital, where Hannah Yonko died, a news release said.

Upon subsequent investigation, detectives found part of a white blanket on the sidewalk and the other half on the street. They also found a small pool of blood nearby, according to court documents.

Evidence

Detectives said they found a garbage bag containing a key card to the sisters’ room, a knife, plastic sand toys, unused diapers and unopened children’s snacks in a trash can in the hotel parking lot.

Authorities said they obtained video showing the child falling from a third-floor balcony, landing on the grass and tumbling onto the concrete sidewalk where the baby was found.

An empty baby stroller was found at The Victorian apartment in Galveston.

Child Protective Services confirmed to KPRC 2 that the agency was previously involved with Channel Yonko.

“This is a horrific crime,” Galveston Police Department Chief Doug Balli said in the statement. “All children deserve to feel safe around their loved ones, especially their own mothers.”