10-month-old swallows battery and dies after landlord failed to fix appliance, suit says
The parents of a 10-month-old baby girl are suing after they say their landlord’s negligence led to their daughter’s death in Iowa.
In September 2022, Haja Sesay and Barbejo Ziaty leased an apartment from Conlin Properties, Inc., according to a civil complaint filed Aug. 27 in Polk County.
McClatchy News reached out to Conlin Properties, Inc., which is listed as a defendant in the case, but did not immediately hear back.
When the couple moved in, they completed a move-in inventory form where they alerted the landlord of any issues in the apartment. The couple reported that the dishwasher needed to be repaired, according to the complaint.
The couple again alerted the landlord multiple times that the kickplate on the dishwasher was broken and needed to be fixed, court records said. However, the landlord and property management company failed to fix it, the family’s attorney said.
On Dec. 16, 2022, the couple’s 10-month-old daughter, Faith Ziaty, crawled into the kitchen and reached under the dishwasher, court records said. Faith found an old battery watch and swallowed it, according to the lawsuit.
Faith “was able to place her hands underneath the dishwasher due to the broken kickplate,” the lawsuit said.
After swallowing the battery, the acid burned Faith’s esophagus “causing significant bleeding,” an attorney said. When her mother saw she was bleeding from her mouth, she rushed her across the street to a veterinary clinic, the complaint said. Then she was rushed to a hospital.
Faith died the next morning.
“Faith was easy going and always happy,” her obituary said. “ ... Of course, Faith loved being around her family who all love her very much.”
The lawsuit is asking for an undetermined amount in damages.
This story was originally published September 18, 2024 at 11:37 AM.
