Baby Falls Eight Stories, Cynthia Wachenheim Suicide: Manhatten Mom Jumps to Death with Baby Strapped to Chest, Son Keston Survives 100 ft. Fall

Reports confirm that Cynthia Wachenheim, a lawyer from Manhatten, jumped to her death from the eighth-story window of a building in Harlem on Wednesday, March 13. Wachenheim (44) committed suicide with her 10-month-old son Keston strapped to her chest. Miraculously, the baby survived the 100-foot fall. Before her fatal jump, Wachenheim wrote an emotional 13-page suicide note, claiming that she no longer wished to live because she considered herself a "bad mother."

According to reports, young Keston survived the dangerous fall by landing on his mother's lifeless body on Bradhurst Ave. in Harlem. Wachenheim ultimately landed on her back and Keston, strapped in a harness on her stomach, bounced off her body on impact and managed to roll away with just some minor scrapes and bruises.

Shaken eyewitness Steven Dominguez (18) told reporters, "I heard a small scream when she was in the air. I noticed something falling, but I didn't want to believe it was a person." He claims that Wachenheim made a horrifying sound when she landed on the hard concrete. "It was a loud bang... It sounded like a big piece of wood hitting the floor. When I got closer, I saw the baby crying."

The 10-month-old boy was promptly transferred to Harlem Hospital after the devastating fall (which occurred at around 3:30 p.m.) - he remained in stable condition as of Wednesday evening. He underwent a CT scan, but is expected to survive.

Wachenheim left her heartbreaking suicide note scrawled across 13 pages of small notebook paper:

"The note said she was not happy and she talked about what she planned to do," a source close to the case stated. In the note, Wachenheim allegedly confessed to her husband, "I love you. I'm making you suffer. You're going to think I'm evil."

"She thinks she's a failing mother. On the last page, she refers to postpartum depression. She was supposed to see a therapist, but she blew him off... As the note goes on, you get the idea she's explaining why she's going to do it," the source revealed.

The note also mentions baby Keston having a physical handicap - his mother was convinced he had cerebral palsy, although doctors insisted that there was nothing wrong with him. The "confessional" was left unsigned, but authorities compared the handwriting to other samples and determined it matched Wachenheim's writing.

Authorities confirm that Wachenheim was prescribed antidepressants - the pills were found in her apartment.

Wachenheim's husband Hal Bacharach (48) was at work when the tragic jump occurred. According to neighbors, the couple had gotten into a loud, heated argument approximately three hours before Cynthia leapt to her death. Hal was spotted on surveillance video storming out of their upscale building at around 12:55 p.m.

"He was yelling at her today," said neighbor Christian Johnson, 37. "It made me stop and listen. He was asking her why she wouldn't pick up the phone. He kept repeating it. Then, the baby started crying." But several neighbors thought it was simply a typical spousal spat.

This is the first time the police have ever received a call from the luxurious Sutton apartment complex, where the Wachenheims have lived for three years.

According to the New York Daily News, Wachenheim, a high school valedictorian in Albany and a Columbia Law grad, was on maternity leave from her $118,000-a-year job in the city court system. She worked there for more than 15 years doing research and writing for judges. Neighbors and co-workers described her as a hardworking, devoted businesswoman and mother:

"She was very friendly," said neighbor Yaa Dwamena, 32. "She always greeted you when you came in and out of the building. She didn't seem like she was going through anything."

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident," said David Bookstaver, spokesman for the city's Office of Court Administration. "Our thoughts are with her family."