Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that can affect women after childbirth. Mothers with postpartum depression experience feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that may make it difficult for them to complete daily care activities for themselves or for others.

A tragedy has unfolded in the small town of Upland, where a mother threw her 1-year-old son from a second story apartment home and killed her 6-month-old daughter.

According to the Upland PD, the incident took place around 11:30 am in the 600 block of N. Wedgewood Avenue when a neighbor witness said the mother was dangling her two-year-old boy from the second-floor before throwing him over.

The mother has been identified as 24-year-old Tierra Ortega.

“As soon as she saw the officers and officers saw her, she jumped from the second-story landing,” said Upland police Captain Marcello Blanco.

Police then searched the woman’s apartment and found her little daughter unresponsive with multiple serious injuries.

Both children were flown to a nearby hospital. Unfortunately, the girl died a few hours later due to a skull fracture and internal bleeding.

At the time of the incident the children’s father was not home, when he was called to the home, he emotionally tried to push his way past officers when he arrived. According to the police, there was no history of violence at the house or in the couples past.

As night drew near, neighbors had placed two stuffed bunnies on the mailbox of the little victims home, one blue and one pink.

“As a mother, I can’t figure it out, I can’t understand it. Other than post-partum depression,” a resident said

Many questions if Ortega was suffering from a mental illness, “I would have never thought she would be capable of doing anything like that,” said neighbor Kaeleigh Calderon. “But mothers go through post-partum depression. It’s a real thing.”

The family of four moved in from La Puente about a year ago and has not been an issue claimed the property manager.

“They’ve always been very quiet,” Calderon added. “I’ve never seen them arguing. Never seen them bickering.”

The mother is being held without bail in county jail and is waiting to see the judge. She is facing child abuse, murder, and attempted murder charges.

NIMH defines Postpartum depression as “a mood disorder that can affect women after childbirth. Mothers with postpartum depression experience feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that may make it difficult for them to complete daily care activities for themselves or others. …feelings of sadness and anxiety can be extreme and might interfere with a woman’s ability to care for herself or her family. Because of the severity of the symptoms, postpartum depression usually requires treatment. “