An Iowa mother was arrested on child endangerment and neglect charges after her 20-month-old son drowned in the bathtub in her apartment.
The baby passed away on October 31, as reported by the West Des Moines police. At around 7 p.m., first responders were summoned to the location and transported the child to a medical facility, where he was later pronounced deceased.
Following the incident, the police initiated an inquiry, leading to the arrest of Kayla Bevar on Wednesday. Bevar faces charges of neglect of a dependent and child endangerment resulting in death.
According to details from a search warrant related to the case, Bevar, aged 21, informed investigators that she had inadvertently fallen asleep while the toddler was in the bathtub. Upon waking up, she discovered the child was unresponsive and immediately contacted 911 for assistance, as reported by KCCI.
“Death investigations are always difficult, even more so when we’re talking about a 20-month-old child. The best thing we can do is to investigate this and pursue justice for this child,” West Des Moines Police Sgt. Dan Wade said.
Court documents also say that the apartment was filled with spoiled food and trash. Officers found dirty diapers in the bathroom and no children’s clothing or baby food.
According to KGAN, Bevar said it was her practice to the leave the baby in the but alone for “five minute” increments. She said she had put the boy in the tub at 6:30 p.m., with the drain plugged and the water running, and checked on him “periodically” before she fell asleep. She returned to the bathroom at 7 p.m. and found the boy floating on his side in the tub, which was overflowing.
Bevar was booked in the Polk County Jail and is being held on a $1 million bond.
