Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Lawyer Says LI Housekeeper Who Allegedly Killed Infant Was Raped
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 22, 2014
Modified Feb 22, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Suffolk County Police
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 22, 2014
Modified Feb 22, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A lawyer for the Long Island live-in housekeeper accused of killing her newborn baby and throwing the body in the trash says the infant was the result of a rape, and had been born stillborn and premature.
Santos Elena Ruiz Solano, the 26-year-old housekeeper who lived in her employer's West Islip home, was arraigned on second degree murder charges yesterday after prosecutors accused her of fatally fracturing the infant's skull, putting the body in a plastic bag and throwing it in a garbage can. Ruiz Solano, a native of Honduras, plead not guilty, and according to attorney Michael Brown, she was raped en route to the United States seven months ago. "She is a mother who gave birth to a stillborn baby. She’s traumatized,” he said. “But now she is facing the hammer of the criminal justice system. “
Medica examiners say the infant was born alive, and the bodily trauma it suffered indicated a significant force. "The baby had three skull fractures that would have been caused by at least one impact,” prosecutor Glenn Kurtzrock said yesterday. "It would not have been caused by the baby simply falling or being dropped out of someone’s arms."
According to prosecutors, Ruiz Solano gave birth on Sunday in the bathroom of her employer's home; she allegedly called her husband to take her to the hospital soon after, and gave him a plastic bag with the infant's body, which he then threw out unknowingly. He reportedly told officials he did not know his wife was pregnant; she has two children at home in Honduras.
Ruiz Solano is being held without bail.
Tagged
infant murder
long island
murder
santos elena ruiz solano
west islip
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
5 men charged with trespassing in 2 Manhattan manhole cases
Two people who were found soaking wet and smelling of sewage say they went underground to look for jewelry, according to police and a criminal complaint.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 23, 2026 at 7:49 p.m. ET
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
News
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani extends ban on permits for new street fairs due to NYPD overtime
By
Carol Chen
Inside the Midtown Bus Terminal rebuild: Decks over Lincoln Tunnel approach, a new park
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Black couple seeking Queens apartment sues over racist text from broker
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .