VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A mother has been arrested after her 3-year-old child drowned in Volusia County Sunday.
NBC Affiliate WESH said that officials were called to the San Marco Apartments complex on North Williamson Boulevard around 1:45 p.m. after someone spotted the toddler in a pond.
The Ormond Beach Police Department said 3-year-old Aziryh Santiago had drowned in the water. WESH stated that an arrest report said 22-year-old Myra Santiago, the toddler’s mother, “failed to ensure the front door of her apartment was locked.”
The 22-year-old’s arrest report detailed that the little boy had walked out of the apartment and was alone for about eight hours before he drowned in the pond.
WESH reported that a closer look at her arrest report showed Santiago even tried to message her neighbor on Facebook, asking her to “tell police she watched her son.” The mother added that she was “freaking out” and would tell the neighbor “about everything later.”
However, when police arrived, the neighbor showed the messages to authorities and told them she never watched Santiago’s son.
According to WESH, police confronted Santiago about the messages she sent to her neighbor. Santiago then told the police, “Why are they asking things they already knew?” before asking to leave.
The news outlet reported that Santiago is now being held in jail and is set to appear before a judge at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Ormond Beach police stated that the 22-year-old is facing charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and neglect of a child.
