Police Release 911 Tape in Alleged Child Abuse Case

The Naugatuck Police Department released 911 calls to the media Friday in relation to a case in which a woman was holding her 1-year-old child by the feet and swinging the child around and around like baseball bat, police said.

The woman, Aurora Houghtaling, a 39-year-old woman who lives on South Main Street and has a criminal history, was running with the child down the street and yelling "save us" when people first saw her, according to 911 calls. Police said she admitted that she had snorted crushed up  methylphedidate pills, which are used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The brand name for the drug is Ritalin. 

Police received three 911 calls regarding the incident before dispatching an ambulance. The first call is attached to this article as an audio file. 

The child was taken to Connecticut Children's Medical Center for evaluation and turned over the Department of Children and Families, which does not discuss ongoing investigations.

Police said that when they arrived, the woman refused to stop swinging the baby and appeared to be under the influence of drugs as she was making irrational statements, such as how the government was tapping her cell phone, police said. She did not want to let the child go despite police commands to do so, police said. 

She arrested on several charged and held on a $10,000 surety bond. She was also treated and released from Waterbury Hospital on Friday and arraigned at Waterbury Superior Court on Friday. 

Read the original Naugatuck Patch article regarding this case here.