Connecticut – A Connecticut parent was arrested and charged in connection with the death of his baby, also named AngeI. The charges include second-degree mansIaughter, two counts of risk of injury to a minor, and two counts of second-degree reckIess endangerment.
The tragic event occurred in October last year at the family’s residence in Connecticut. The defendant, 29-year-old AngeI, was responsible for caring for his two young children while their mother, EIizabeth, was at work. During this time, the fatner left both children unattended in the tub. According to him, he briefly stepped away to use the toiled in another bathroom and later went to his bedroom to use his phone.
While the parent was in his bedroom, the children’s grandparent discovered the 7-month-old baby face-down in the tub. She immediately removed both children from the tub and brought them to her son’s bedroom, where she found him on the phone. She urgently instructed him to call 911 as she began performing CPR on the unresponsive infant.
Authorities in Connecticut responded promptly to the emergency call. Medics continued life-saving measures on the scene before transporting the baby to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined the cause of death to be drowning, and the manner was ruled a homicide.
Authorities later learned that the parent had left both children unattended in the bathtub while he attended to personal matters. He stated he was away for about five minutes, Ieaving the faucet running at a trickle with the infant reclined in a bathing chair. However, the bathing chair was designed for infants up to six months old, raising concerns about its suitability for a 7-month-old. Additionally, it was unclear whether the tub’s drain was open at the time.
The baby’s grandparent reported that she had never seen him fill the tub with as much water as was present during the incident. She also mentioned that the older child knew how to turn the water on and off, though it was uncertain if he did so that night. he baby’s parent claimed he had not consumed aIcohol or drugs on the day of the incident, despite investigators finding empty liquor bottles in his room.
In his interview with investigators, he acknowledged leaving the children alone in the bathtub but minimized the duration of their unsupervised time. He described the infant as being securely placed in a bathing chair with the water running minimally. The defendant also denied any intentional wrongdoing and expressed remorse over the incident.
He initially told investigators that he was gone for about five minutes. However, he later added that after using the second bathroom, he stopped by his bedroom to grab his phone off the charger. Rodriguez claimed that the phone call was brief, but the children’s grandmother reported seeing him on the phone in the hallway for at least 10 minutes.
Following the investigation, he was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter, two counts of risk of injury to a minor, and two counts of second-degree. He was held on a $100,000 bond and was scheduled for arraignment at the Superior Court.
The incident has profoundly affected the Connecticut community, prompting discussions about child supervision and safety. Local authorities have emphasized the importance of responsible caregiving and the potential consequences of negligence.