Killer mom arrested in the death of her son; Zarah Coombs beat her 4-year-old unconscious and dumped him in a tub bin full of water for dropping an egg
Zarah Coombs is escorted out of NYPD building on Thursday
26-year-old Zarah Coombs a Brooklyn, NY mom admitted murdering her son, Thursday, claimed she was stressed looking after his siblings
Mother-of-four Coombs confessed beating 4-year-old Zamair unconscious with a stick, leaving him covered in bruises when he accidentally dropped an egg on Wednesday night
She dumped him in a bin filled with water, first responders found him battered, unconscious, not breathing and foaming at the mouth
Witnesses say Coombs showed no emotion and ‘acted like she didn’t care’ as EMTs tried to revive her son
She initially lied that Zumair fell in the bathtub
Faces charges of manslaughter, criminal possession of a weapon, acting in a manner injurious to a child
Coombs and her 26-year-old boyfriend who have two other children, beside her eldest from a previous relationship, are being investigated by Child Services
Zarah Coombs is facing murder charges in the beating death of her 4-year-old son, Zumair. She claimed he fell and drowned in a plastic bath tub
Zarah Coombs, admitted to beating the 4-year-old Zamair Coombs unconscious with a stick Wednesday night before leaving the dying child inside a plastic storage bin filled with water.
Coombs is reported to have told investigators the fatal ‘punishment’ began because she was stressed out while caring for her two younger children, a 1 year-old and her one-month-old infant.When Zamair accidentally dropped the egg, she allegedly flew into a rage, grabbed a stick and beat the little boy until he was silent.
Police say they arrived at the basement apartment around 9 p.m., to the disturbing sight of the battered little boy unconscious, not breathing and foaming at the mouth.
Coombs’ neighbor, Ray Moore described how the ‘killer mom’ watched, showing no emotion as EMTs tried to save her son’s life.
“She was just standing there like she just don’t care,” said Moore, who lives one floor up from the murder suspect. “I know if it was me, my mother would’ve been in the ambulance.
“That’s when you know something wasn’t right.”
little Zamair suffered abrasions on his neck and bruises on various parts of his body, apparently from the beating, according to sources.
Zarah Coombs initially claimed she left Zumair unattended in the large, water-filled storage bin, while tending to one of the smaller kids at the time. Her boyfriend later found the unconscious Zamair, she told the cops.
The 26-year-old boyfriend allegedly, tried to perform CPR while Coombs called 911 for help just before 9 p.m. She was subsequently arrested after coming clean with detectives about what really happened, the sources said.
After her confession Thursday, Coombs was seen tears rolling down her face as she was led from the offices of the NYPD Child Abuse Squad in Brooklyn with her hands cuffed behind her back. She was dressed in a purple leather jacket.
Zamair Coombs, 4, was found unresponsive covered in bruises and cuts inside this plastic tub which was filled with water
New York City Administration for Children’s Services investigated a pair of unfounded allegations against the mom in 2015 including failure to provide medical care in March, and then for inadequate supervision three months later, according to sources.
Police records also show there were three prior domestic incident reports involving Coombs, the first in 2002, another in 2006 and the last in 2011.
The suspect’s brother, Michael Thomas, offered little support for his sister after her arrest. He noted that the city Administration for Children’s Services had stopped by the apartment several times before the death of his nephew.
“Family or not she deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent,” said Thomas. “People argue, they fight, but this is unacceptable, intolerable for you to kill a 4-year-old. A sister or not, she has to be held accountable.”
Thomas described the grim scene outside the apartment when he arrived amid flashing lights and howling sirens from police cars and medical personnel.
“They were pumping on his chest,” said Thomas, 53, about his nephew. “When I saw them inserting the breathing tube, you know that’s bad. He was foaming at the mouth.”
Before the charges, Thomas expressed hope that the death was a “tragic accident” inside the apartment on Riverdale Ave. in Brownsville. His daughter, who lives next door to Coombs, summoned him to the scene Wednesday night.
Zarah Coombs was also charged with manslaughter, acting in a manner injurious to a child and criminal possession of a weapon, cops said.
The suspect’s boyfriend returned home after heading out to buy marijuana, with Zarah telling him the boy was hurt and then needed to call for help, sources said.
The child was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday, according to police.
Crime scene: The battered body of Zamir Coombs was found in the basement of this Brownsville apartment, Wednesday evening
The official cause of death was undetermined, but the city medical examiner’s office planned to begin its investigation Thursday. Department of Investigations Commissioner Mark Peters said his agency was also investigating the death.
DOI investigators already requested authorization from ACS to “get the records on this most recent case,” Peters said Thursday. “Once we get the records we will do a thorough investigation.”
Thomas said he was initially told the little boy took a spill after stepping on some loose towels in the bathroom. The pre-schooler was climbing out of the tub when he fell, and the mom said she immediately called 911.
Thomas said the mother and the 26-year-old boyfriend fought frequently, and thinks that may have led to the couple neglecting the children. But the relative said he never saw any physical abuse.
The Zarah Coombs’ two youngest kids were both fathered by her current boyfriend, while Zamair and a 9-year-old child have different dads, both currently serving time in jail.
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