Toddler dies after mother gives him strong medicine then leaves him alone in the bathtub for 90 min. as she fell asleep before finding him ‘laying, partially submerged and unresponsive’; pleads guilty

A woman is facing charges in regards to her toddler’s death after she left him in the bathtub for nearly two hours as she fell asleep. The explanation she gave in court left the community and the public devastated.

According to publicly available court documents, the 28-year-old Molly pleaded guilty this month to one count of involuntary manslaughter for the incident that happened last year when her son Jayden, 3, died in the bathtub as the mother left him there alone. Initially, the mother pleaded not guilty but decided to enter a guilty plea to the manslaughter charge following an agreement with prosecutors to drop one count of the child endangerment charge Molly initially faced.

The incident, according to the local police department press release, took place at the beginning of December last year when they received a 911 call and responded to Molly’s Oh. residence. The first responders immediately located the child as soon as they arrived at the scene, and the toddler was taken to the hospital for treatment. Despite doctors’ efforts to save the boy, later identified as Jayden, he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the closest medical facility.

Molly was arrested and placed in jail. Molly revealed to investigators that the boy had an allergic reaction that day in the evening. In an effort to treat the allergic reaction, she gave her son Benadryl, a very strong medicine that is prohibited to use in young children under the age of 6 unless directed by a doctor because this medicine makes children very drowsy. She then took the boy and put him in the bathtub. According to her statement, Jayden was left alone there for “a long period of time.” When the mother returned, the boy was still in the tub, ‘laying, partially submerged, and unresponsive’.

The local community and the public were devastated when they heard the explanation given by Molley’s attorney during the first court appearance. The attorney, who spoke on their client’s behalf because Molley was “visibly distraught and could barely speak” during the proceedings, explained that the devastating case was completely accidental. The mother reportedly fell asleep and left the child in the tub for 90 minutes. She had a long day at work, as she was working all day for a painting and contracting company. The mother was very tired when she got home, and she simply dozed off.

It’s worth noting that Molley was granted permission and was released from jail to attend her son’s funeral a few weeks after the fatal incident. The sentencing hearing is scheduled to take place later this month.