Father hit with manslaughter over infant’s drowning death

homesafetytechpros — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 15:44:26 +0000

Inset: Angel Marcus Rodriguez (East Haven Police Department). Background: The residence where his son drowned in October 2024 (Google Maps).

A Connecticut man is behind bars following the drowning death of his 7-month-old baby boy last fall, authorities say.

Angel Marcus Rodriguez, 29, stands accused of one count of manslaughter in the second degree as well as two counts each of risk of injury to a minor and two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment, according to the East Haven Police Department.

Those charges stem from Angel Josiah Rodriguez’s death — and the alleged harm that could have befallen the boy’s 3-year-old brother.

The incident occurred late in the evening on Oct. 6, 2024, at a house on Redfield Avenue in East Haven — a medium-sized town located a few miles east of New Haven and part of the broader metro area.

Police say the father admittedly left his two children alone in the bathtub while he went to use another bathroom in the residence because the toilet in the children’s bathroom did not flush adequately, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the New Haven Register. Rodriguez did not initially recall how long he was gone, police allege. Later, the defendant allegedly told investigators he was gone for maybe five minutes while the children bathed alone.

The little boy was found by his grandmother, facedown in the tub, while his older brother was playing with toy cars right beside him.

More Law&Crime coverage: ‘Not a viable explanation’: Couple searched ‘dent’ injuries hours before taking infant to hospital with bleeding brain, police say

“He just turned over,” the older boy allegedly told his grandmother when she walked in, according to law enforcement.

At such a young age, the baby could not sit up by himself. Family members said he was propped up in an Angelcare brand “Back Support” bathing chair, which the company describes as “ideal for newborn babies up to six months or 9 kg/20 lbs.,” according to the warrant.

The grandmother allegedly told investigators she grabbed both children out of the tub and ran into her son’s bedroom — where she found him talking on his cellphone. Then, the grandmother said she yelled at her son to dial 911 as she performed CPR on the child.

Those lifesaving efforts were passed onto the children’s aunt, investigators wrote in the warrant, who overheard the shouting upstairs and came running — quickly relieving the grandmother and vainly trying to press life into the baby boy’s chest.

More Law&Crime coverage: ‘Tasted weird’: Mom arrested after boy, 5, allegedly ingested meth through his apple juice container and died

Details about the final moments in the children’s bathroom, different but not necessarily contradictory, would find their way to investigators.

The children’s grandmother allegedly said she had never before seen her son fill the bathtub up so high. Normally, she allegedly said, the water would only reach halfway up the baby’s bathing chair.

Rodriguez himself, speaking to detectives through tears, said he left the water on “just a trickle” but that it was only at the level of the baby’s feet when he left the children by themselves.

Investigators also noted other factors that might have contributed to the water levels in the bathtub. Such factors included: whether or not the plug was in the drain — this was unclear; whether or not the water was still running — the grandmother said it was not; or if the 3-year-old had touched the faucet or the plug — Rodriguez said he told his older boy not to touch either but efforts to interview the surviving child were swiftly abandoned because he could neither understand the questions nor remain focused, police said.

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.

When confronted about allegedly being on the phone while the children bathed, Rodriguez added to his initial recollection, according to the warrant. He said he stopped by his bedroom, after using the second bathroom, to get his phone off the charger. While the defendant told investigators he thought the phone call was brief, the children’s grandmother said she noticed her son on the phone in a hallway for at least 10 minutes, police say.

“The East Haven Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the family of Angel Josiah Rodriguez,” the police department said in a press release. “We hope this arrest brings some measure of accountability and helps Angel’s family in their pursuit of healing. This heartbreaking loss has deeply affected all involved. We are grateful to our first responders and investigative personnel for their dedication to this case, and we continue to stand with Angel’s family as they grieve.”

Rodriguez was arrested on Monday. He is currently being detained in the New Haven Correctional Center on $200,000 bond.

Source link

The post Father hit with manslaughter over infant’s drowning death appeared first on Home Safety Tech Pros.

Mom tried to ditch 2 infants at 7-Eleven gas station: Police

homesafetytechpros — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 18:29:33 +0000

Inset: Amber Adams (Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The 7-Eleven gas station where Adams allegedly tried to abandon her two infants (KWTV).

A mother in Oklahoma is accused of drunkenly trying to leave her infant children at a 7-Eleven gas station so she could drive somewhere to have sex.

Amber Adams was taken into custody earlier this year and charged with two counts of felony child neglect, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

A witness at the Oklahoma City 7-Eleven on June 6, 2024, called 911 and reported seeing Adams, who appeared to be very intoxicated, pull into the station and stop at one of the gas pumps, according to a report from Oklahoma City CBS affiliate KWTV.

The caller reportedly told the 911 dispatcher that Adams got out of the car and opened the passenger door. She then reached in and “grabbed a baby” by the arm as if the child “was a rag doll.” Adams then reportedly “tossed the baby to the ground.”

Afterward, she was allegedly trying to get a second child out of the vehicle when a friend who had been in the car with Adams intervened and put the first child back in the car, Oklahoma City Fox affiliate KOKH reported.

While it was unclear which child was removed from the car, KOKH reported that one of the kids was 4 months old while the other was 11 months old.

Once both kids were back in the car, the caller reportedly said Adams drove away from the station. The witness provided police with a description of her vehicle and officers were able to locate her and conduct a traffic stop a few miles away.

In an interview with police, Adams allegedly admitted that she had been drinking wine and tequila that evening. She also said that she had been trying to get in touch with the children’s father to set up a custody exchange but was unable to reach him.

Police said her plan was to leave the kids at the gas station and drop a pin, the location of which she was going to send to the father so he could “come and pick up the children,” KWTV reported.

Adams further explained to the officer that she was leaving the kids behind so she could get some “slingy sling,” KOKH reported. When pressed about what she meant by the phrase “slingy sling,” Adams allegedly responded that she was going to another person’s house to “f—.”

Adams’ friend was reportedly still in the car and told police that he had only known the woman for about two months. He also told officers that on one occasion, he watched as Adams downed four shots of tequila while she and both of the kids were in her car, per KOKH.

According to KWTV, Adams was so intoxicated that she told police her third child, a 6-year-old, had jumped out of the car that evening, prompting a frantic search. One neighbor told the station there were about 12 police vehicles in the area and officers with flashlights searching for the child. However, authorities said they later located the 6-year-old who was safe and staying with a family member.

Adams was initially released without being formally charged. Immediately following her release, she posted on social media that she was going to sell T-shirts depicting her mug shot for $10 each, KWTV reported.

A warrant for Adams’ arrest was issued on July 17, 2024. She is no longer in custody after a judge set her bond at $50,000.

Source link

The post Mom tried to ditch 2 infants at 7-Eleven gas station: Police appeared first on Home Safety Tech Pros.

infants Archives - Home Safety Tech Pros

Father hit with manslaughter over infant’s drowning death

Mom tried to ditch 2 infants at 7-Eleven gas station: Police