Inset: Courtney M. Newsom (Craighead County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The area in Arkansas where Newsom lived when her 1-year-old son drowned in the bathtub (Google Maps).
A 31-year-old mother in Arkansas has been arrested in connection with the death of her 1-year-old son, who drowned in the bathtub after she allegedly left him alone in the water for nearly 15 minutes.
Courtney Marie Newsom was taken into custody and charged with one count of felony manslaughter by recklessly causing death, as well as two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a minor.
Officers with the Brookland Police Department on Sept. 7 responded to a residence at the Logan Street and Wagner Place Apartments regarding a report of an unresponsive infant, according to a report from local news website JonesboroRightNow, citing a probable cause affidavit.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said they located Newsom in the bathroom performing CPR on her son. Medics took over lifesaving procedures and transported the boy to a local hospital for treatment.
In an interview with police, Newsom reportedly said that while giving the child a bath, she left the room for less than two minutes before finding her son unresponsive.
“Officers spoke with Courtney about what had happened. Courtney said she was giving her son and daughter a bath and that she left the room for approximately 60 to 90 seconds,” the affidavit said, per the Jonesboro Sun. “When Courtney returned, she found her son laying on his back with water over his lips and nose and that she grabbed him out of the tub and started CPR.”
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The boy was pronounced dead on the evening of Sept. 13.
In a second interview with investigators, Newsom reportedly provided a different version of events, this time allegedly explaining she left her son alone in the bath for more than 10 minutes.
“She said that she got up at 6:55 a.m. and both kids had been sick but her son seemed better but that she was going to call into work so she could take them to the doctor. She said that she gets up at 6:55 a.m., gets the kids ready for a bath, that’s my morning routine,” the affidavit reportedly said. “So then, she said she put them in the bath, then walked out of the room to put her daughter’s phone in her backpack. ‘I then text my mom and thought I had only been out of the room for a minute but I lost track of time cause I was gone for 14 minutes. The reason I know this is because I text my mom the first time at 7 a.m. and called her when I found my son at 7:14 a.m.'”
A warrant for Newsom’s arrest was issued Oct. 8, and she was taken into custody on Oct. 11, according to NEA Report. She appeared in court on Oct. 15, when Judge David Boling ordered her to be held in lieu of $15,000 bond, which Newsom later posted.
A GoFundMe was started to assist Newsom in paying her legal costs. The post says that following her arrest, Newsom was placed “in isolation and on suicide watch” while at the Craighead County Jail.
Newsom is currently scheduled to appear in court again for her arraignment on Nov. 25.
