1-year-old girl drowns in bathtub, Georgia police say. Now, mom is charged with murder
The mother of a 1-year-old Georgia girl who died after she was left alone in a bathtub is charged in her daughter’s murder, police told news outlets.
Ronica Jones, 27, was initially charged with second-degree child cruelty in the Nov. 7 incident, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, citing an arrest warrant from DeKalb County police.
Those charges were upgraded to murder on Monday, Nov. 11, after Jones’ daughter died from her injuries, according to WSB-TV.
McClatchy News reached out to the DeKalb County Police Department for more information on Nov. 13 and was awaiting a response.
Officers were called Nov. 7 to the family’s home in Stone Mountain and found the infant unresponsive and receiving medical attention, WAGA reported, citing police.
The child was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and died four days later, police told the station.
Investigators learned that Jones was bathing two children, a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, in the bathtub together when she left them alone, the AJC reported, citing the arrest warrant. She returned to find the infant under the water, the warrant said.
Jones’ family told WSB-TV that they plan to fight the charges. It’s not clear if she has legal representation.
“(Ronica) explained she was bathing her (daughter) and that she turned to get the towel and when she turned back around, she slipped and fell in the tub,” Ronald Jones, the child’s grandfather, told the station.
Jones was taken to jail and released Nov. 8 after bonding out, online records show.
Stone Mountain is about a 20-mile drive northeast from downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published November 14, 2024 at 1:21 PM with the headline "1-year-old girl drowns in bathtub, Georgia police say. Now, mom is charged with murder."