"I'd never thought he would be the type to hurt her," the mother, who does not want to reveal her name, said. "When we split up, he wasn't mentally stable, talking about killing himself. I didn't want my daughter around that."
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She and the baby's father, Alexander Ordonez, 24, split two months ago. She said he was not working and allowed him to care for their daughter while she worked until recently when he started threatening his life.
She hired a babysitter and no longer allowed Ordonez around their daughter. However, she said he knew where the babysitter lived, and on Tuesday evening, he showed up and took their baby.
"When I was at work (Tuesday) around 6 p.m., the babysitter called me that he came in, shoved her, and grabbed the baby," the mother said. "It was kind of cold because it was raining, and he didn't let her put a jacket on or anything. He just took her."
According to Rosenberg police, Ordonez first stole a tow truck from his former workplace, Riverside Towing/Auto Collision, on FM 845. Police received a call before 6 p.m. The owner of the business reported he was stabbed multiple times, and his tow truck was stolen by a former employee. The victim was transported to the hospital and is expected to survive.
An Amber Alert was issued for both Ordonez and his daughter soon after.
At about 1:55 a.m. Wednesday, officers with the Sugar Land Police Department located the vehicle in their jurisdiction, and a pursuit ensued. Ordonez led police on a chase through Fort Bend County that lasted over 45 minutes and ended in the 4700 block of FM 762 near Benton Road after police deployed spike strips.
Ordonez exited the vehicle with Leylani in his hands, who police say was already stabbed. He then stabbed himself, according to police. Both were taken to the hospital, where they died.
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"Part of me didn't think he would hurt her because he's her dad," the mother said. "But part of me also didn't know what he was capable of."
The baby's mother is now questioning what she could have done differently, now without her little girl, who had just learned how to walk.
"There's times where the anger comes back," she said. "I hate him. I start crying, and I can't stop."
The mother of the baby said she didn't believe Ordonez would even be able to get to their daughter because he does not have a car and is facing financial problems.
Court records show he was facing an eviction from the apartment they once lived together in as a family.
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