Baby drowns in bath while mom was on phone for 20 minutes: Sheriff

A Michigan mom was arrested Thursday on felony costs in connection to her 8-month-old son’s drowning loss of life final yr when the child was left alone in a tub whereas she was on the cellphone for greater than 20 minutes, in accordance with the native sheriff’s workplace.

Olivia Miller, 23, of Sparta Township, Michigan, is dealing with one rely of murder — involuntary manslaughter and one rely of second-degree youngster abuse within the November 2023 loss of life of her 8-month-old son, Asher Johnson, court docket data present.

Investigators decided that Miller was dwelling alone together with her child when the boy drowned and stated that the mom advised various accounts of what occurred, in accordance with an announcement by the Kent County Sheriff’s Workplace (KCSO).

Newsweek reached out through electronic mail on Saturday to KCSO and Miller’s legal professional Frank Stanley for remark.

Miller is presently being held on a $300,000 bond on the Kent County jail, on-line data present. She appeared for her arraignment on Friday the place she pleaded not responsible to all costs, in accordance with native station WZZM.

On November 22, 2023, KCSO deputies, Sparta Police Division (SPD) officers and paramedics responded to a house off 16 Mile Highway in Sparta Township for a name concerning a child who had drowned in a tub, the sheriff’s workplace stated.

Miller was the one one dwelling together with her child when she left him unattended in a tub with the water operating, KCSO Deputy Anna Birkeland wrote in a probable-cause affidavit obtained by Michigan information web site MLive.

“All through the investigation, Olivia gave various tales of what occurred surrounding Asher’s loss of life,” Birkeland wrote.

The mom advised investigators that she left her child, sitting up within the bathtub that was crammed just a few inches and had the water operating, for 5 minutes whereas she went to the laundry room. When she returned, Miller stated she discovered Johnson floating, along with his face underwater, in accordance with the affidavit.

Miller stated that she tried to revive her child till first responders arrived, the court docket doc states.

Through the investigation, detectives analyzed Miller’s cellphone exercise across the time of her son’s loss of life and located that she used her cellphone from 3:17 p.m. till she referred to as 911 at 3:38 p.m. Throughout that timeframe, there was solely an 18-second break in her cellphone utilization, the court docket paperwork state.

Two minutes earlier than she referred to as 911, Miller referred to as the child’s paternal grandmother twice to inform her the boy had drowned.

4 minutes earlier than she referred to as 911, she texted her father that she was “Simply making an attempt to speak whereas I’ve time whereas Asher’s taking a nap,” in accordance with the affidavit.

SPD arrived on the scene seven minutes after Miller referred to as 911 and located the child mendacity face-up on the lounge flooring. Officers tried life-saving measures earlier than the boy was taken to Helen DeVos Kids’s Hospital the place he was pronounced lifeless, court docket data state.

The child’s explanation for loss of life was decided to be drowning, in accordance with an post-mortem carried out by Kent County’s Chief Medical Examiner Stephen Cohle, who additionally estimated that the toddler had been mendacity on his again on the ground for at least 20 minutes earlier than authorities arrived.

Miller’s legal professional advised WZZM that there was “no indication of intentionality” concerning the mom’s alleged actions.

“There is no indication of intentionality right here and that is vital to level out, Stanley stated. “This can be a tragic state of affairs she suffered tremendously, emotionally from the loss of life of her youngster. She loves that youngster. I have been inside that home. There are images throughout that home of her, the daddy with that youngster.”

Miller is due again in court docket on February 7.