NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. -- The mother of an infant killed when he was swept over Niagara Falls was jailed on murder charges pending a bail hearing, while her lawyer appealed for witnesses to the bizarre incident to come forward.
Swathed in a black mourning dress and sobbing uncontrollably, Dunia Sayegh, 27, was remanded in Provincial Court on second-degree murder charges Wednesday in the weekend death of her two-month-old son, Hesham.
She was arrested at her north Toronto home Tuesday after police used a doll to simulate her explanation of how the baby fell into the raging Niagara River about a dozen feet from the edge of the Canadian Horseshoe falls.
'Our evidence indicates the child's death was not an accident,' said acting Niagara Regional Police Staff Sgt. Roy Reid.
Mrs. Sayegh was brought to court in a police cruiser with a towel draped over her head. Dressed entirely in black, she sat with her head bowed, weeping openly through the brief court appearance. Several relatives sat with her in the front row, trying vainly to console her.
She was remanded in custody to Sept. 8 for a bail hearing in Superior Court.
Second-degree murder carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
'She's been suffering enormous strain,' defense attorney Lawrence Cohen told reporters outside the courtroom. He described Mrs. Sayegh as a 'devoted mother' and said the Lebanese family was well respected in the community.
'This is a tragedy for them of the worst type.'
Cohen appealed for witnesses to come forward to testify. Police had earlier complained that although dozens of people saw Saturday's incident, witnesses were reluctant to identify themselves.
Cohen declined to comment on reports that Hesham, the Sayegh's third child, was born with congenital defects, but said the infant's birth had been 'difficult' and doctors had said he had 'only a 10-percent chance of living.'
Police said earlier that Mrs. Sayegh told them she suffered a dizzy spell and accidentally dropped the infant over the railing as she and the Sayeghs' children stood at the edge of the falls with several relatives. Her husband, Rafik, an independent taxi driver, had gone to buy film.
As dozens of tourists screamed helplessly, the child was swept over the cataract and vanished into the whirlpool 162 feet below the falls. Mrs. Sayegh became hysterical and was taken to a nearby hospital to be sedated.
The baby's body has not been recovered and police said it might never be found because of the rocks and powerful undercurrents beneath the falls.
