Police in Chevy Chase, Maryland, arrested a mother after she allegedly drowned her 3-month-old daughter (WRC/YouTube).
A Maryland mother and licensed clinical counselor is in jail after she allegedly drowned her 3-month-old daughter in a bathtub at their home.
The Montgomery County Police Department reported that they received a 911 call from the defendant, Mackenzie R. Colgan, stating that she had drowned a girl at their residence in the 7300 block of Summit Avenue in Chevy Chase, near Washington, D.C., shortly after noon on Sunday. Upon arrival, emergency responders attempted to rescue the girl, but she was ultimately declared deceased by hospital staff.
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An affidavit outlining probable cause, as obtained by Law&Crime, indicated that Colgan had taken the baby from family members around 11:40 a.m. on Sunday under the guise of giving her a bath. Around 20 minutes later, Colgan informed the girl’s father and her husband that the baby had died. In a panicked attempt to save her, the father started CPR while instructing Colgan to contact emergency services.
Subsequently, law enforcement officers brought Colgan in for questioning at the police station. Following the Miranda rights protocol, Colgan allegedly confessed to planning to harm her entire family, including her two children and her husband, on the morning in question. Colgan reportedly revealed that she set up a baby bath within a larger tub filled with water as part of her intended actions.
“She then said that she turned the baby to face away from her and held the victim’s head under the water until she knew the victim was dead,” cops wrote. The girl’s name was redacted from the affidavit.
Colgan said she then went to a bedroom with the intent of jumping out of a window but once she went out to the ledge, she changed her mind, the affidavit said. She went downstairs and told her husband what she did.
Police filed a first-degree murder charge against Colgan and placed her in the Montgomery County Jail. She is slated to undergo a mental health evaluation before her first court appearance.
Maryland records show Colgan is a licensed clinical professional counselor.
