Background: The home of the family whose three children were allegedly found in a nearby pond in Liberty County, Texas (YouTube/KPRC). Inset: The home and pond where the children were allegedly found (YouTube/KPRC).
A Texas mother is currently under investigation for allegedly trying to drown her three children in a pond near the family home, possibly after she drugged them with NyQuil.
The Liberty County Sheriff”s Office provided an on-camera update to a story that broke early on Monday in connection with a family of five that has not been named. According to Capt. David Meyers, who serves as the sheriff’s office public information officer, deputies responded to a 911 call placed just before 6 a.m. when the father reportedly told dispatchers that “his wife poisoned his children with NyQuil and attempted to drown them in a lake.”
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
Meyers stated that the three children involved are a 15-year-old girl, an 11-year-old girl, and a 6-year-old boy. All three children and their mother were transported to a nearby hospital, but all the children survived the alleged drowning attempt. Meyers said the mother and the 11-year-old were listed in critical condition while the other two children are stable.
KHOU, a local CBS affiliate, reported that during the 911 call, the father told dispatchers that he had been able to get all of his children out of the water and was “trying to get away from the wife.” According to Meyers, the father stated that he had “heard some commotion” coming from the front yard that sounded like his kids “yelling.” The house sits near a large lake, around 75 to 100 feet from the home’s entrance.
When deputies arrived on the scene, Meyers said that the mother was still in the water and was not breathing or conscious. The 11-year-old girl had regained consciousness after being pulled from the water by her father.
Meyers fielded a question about the alleged use of NyQuil or vodka to poison the children. He did not confirm that either was ingested by the children, though the 911 dispatcher stated that the father believed the children had been “poisoned” with NyQuil. Meyers said the claim was being investigated.
While the names of the family members were not shared with the public, Meyers said that the sheriff’s office has been working with Child Protective Services (CPS) and a social worker at the hospital where the mother and children are being treated. He stated that none of the children were currently enrolled in school and that the family had been living in the home since 2017.
According to Meyers, authorities were waiting until the family’s relatives were notified of the “tragic event,” as he referred to it. He also told the press that police were not singling out the mother as a suspect yet, and that both parents were being investigated and questioned. He noted that the father had been cooperative with police.
When asked if authorities were investigating the incident as an alleged attempted murder, Meyers would not confirm that, saying “it’s too early to tell.”
