Florida toddler drowned in pool as mom and boyfriend slept
A Florida couple was asleep as a toddler apparently wandered into a swimming pool and drowned, police said.
The child’s mother, Amanda Paige Davis, and her live-in boyfriend, Charner Leon Williams IV, were arrested at their Titusville home on a charge of aggravated manslaughter of a child after Davis’ 23-month-old daughter, Athena Blevins, was found lifeless in their pool Saturday afternoon, police said.
The couple’s roommate found the toddler unresponsive in the pool and performed CPR until paramedics got to the home, Titusville police said.
“The parents did not wake up until paramedics arrived on scene,” police said in a statement Sunday.
Paramedics were unable to save the girl, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital, police said.
A subsequent search of the couple’s home revealed drug paraphernalia that was “easily accessible” to the child, investigators said.
“In addition, it was found that no steps were put in place to prevent the toddler from having access to additional hazards, such as the swimming pool and the roadway,” police said.
Davis told detectives she and Williams were recovering heroin addicts who had been sober for the past two months, according to an arrest report obtained by WKMG.
But the couple allegedly admitted using heroin, cocaine and marijuana earlier in the day prior to the girl’s drowning. Davis told investigators the pair went to bed at about 4 or 5 a.m. and last saw Athena sleeping in her bed, the arrest report states.
The girl had recently learned how to open a sliding glass door and Davis allegedly didn’t take steps to stop her from getting outside. Detectives also found a glass pipe and a white powdery substance in a bag inside the couple’s bedroom that Williams said was heroin, authorities said.
Davis and Williams, both 30, remained held without bond Monday at the Brevard County Jail, online records show. They’re scheduled to return to court on March 11. It’s unclear if they’ve hired attorneys who could respond to the allegations.
Davis’ daughter, meanwhile, was set to turn 2 on Friday, WKMG reported.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/02/15/florida-toddler-drowned-as-mom-boyfriend-slept-cops/
Photo Credit: Brevard County Sheriff’s Office