A Brookland mother was charged after authorities say she left her one-year-old son unattended in a bathtub while she was on her phone, leading to the child’s death.
A Craighead County District found probable cause on Oct. 15th to charge Courtney Marie Newsom with homicide – manslaughter, recklessly causing death, a Class C felony; and two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, Class B misdemeanors.
Authorities say on August 7th, Brookland police responded to the apartments near Wagner Place Drive for a call reporting an unresponsive infant.
Officers reported finding the mother attempting to resuscitate the one-year-old boy.
Brookland Fire Department first responders arrived soon and began performing life saving measures on the child. The child was transported by Emerson Ambulance to NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
Newsom was questioned by investigators about the events leading to her child’s injuries, saying she was giving her son and daughter a bath when she left the room for “approximately 60 to 90 seconds.” Newsom stated when she returned, she found her son laying on his back with water over his lips and nose and she removed him out of the tub and started CPR.
Investigators were notified that the child passed away at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis on Aug. 13th.
During a mirandized interview with Newsom at the Brookland Police Department on Sept. 18, she told police more about what had happened the day of the incident. Newsom stated to police she got up at 6:55 a.m. the morning of the incident to give her children a bath, just as she usually does as part of her morning routine.
Both of her kids were sick earlier, so she said she was going to call into work to take them to a doctor, although she said her son seemed better that morning.
She stated she put her children in the bath, then left the room “to put her daughter’s phone in her backpack.”
She then stated “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 mother stated in her interview “the reason I know this is because I text my Mom the first time a 7 a.m. and called when I found my son at 7:14 a.m.”
Newsom was arrested on Oct. 11th and taken to the Craighead County Detention Center.
Newsom was released on. $15,000 bond on October 15th and has a November court date.
Investigators noted her other child has been placed in a home.