A Texas mother is in jail after her 8-month-old daughter drowned in a bathtub while the mom left her unattended last week.
According to CBS DFW, Cheyenne Summer Stuckey of Parker County told police that she put her daughter in the bathtub with the water running and then became distracted by other children in the home, a loud television, and a conversation on Facebook messenger.
Stuckey, 21, reportedly said she was away from the bathroom for “only a couple of minutes” and when she remembered to check on her daughter, Zayla Hernandez, she found her face down in the bathtub water. Stuckey said she tried to resuscitate the baby but “didn’t know how.”
The mother called paramedics who arrived to find the baby unresponsive. They performed CPR on the 8-month-old but could not revive her. The baby was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
A criminal investigation found that Stuckey had actually been on Facebook messenger for 18 minutes, chatting with two different people. The mother reportedly told police that she couldn’t remember if she had put a drain stopper in the tub.
Authorities removed three other children in the home and placed them in foster care. Stuckey remains in custody, and a judge has not yet set bail.
Feature photo: Parker County Sheriff