Woman detained and charged for assaulting a toddler on flight to Seattle
A 33-year-old resident of Sacramento has been arrested at Seattle-Tacoma International (Sea-Tac) Airport after multiple passengers reported being witnesses to the physical abuse of a 2-year-old child.
On May 1, on a Delta flight from Mexico to Sea-Tac, witnesses reported that they observed the suspect, Breanna R. Mistler, kick and shake the victim “like a ragdoll.”
It is unclear what prompted the abuse but a passenger noted in the criminal complaint that the kick occurred after the child woke Mistler up.
Passenger attempts to intervene did not stop the abuse, according to the release.
Upon arriving at Sea-Tac, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers detained Mistler and saw bruises on the child.
Port of Seattle Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took over the investigation.
Mistler was placed in the SeaTac Federal Detention Center at the judge’s order and charged with misdemeanor assault.
A hearing is scheduled for May 16. U.S. Attorney Carolyn Forstein is handling the case.
