Florida mom charged with aggravated manslaughter following bathtub drowning of her 8-month-old baby
On June 23, detectives with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) reported arresting a 29-year-old mom on a manslaughter charge after an investigation found she left an infant in her care alone in a bathtub, leading to the child’s tragic drowning. Initially, the woman tried lying to deputies regarding the circumstances surrounding how the tragic drowning occurred.
Detectives said Nicole Marie Laber of Golden Gate Estates in Naples, Florida, staged the child’s death to make it appear as if it were an accident. Neighbors told ABC7 News that Laber’s 8-month-old daughter was the victim.
Background: Deputies responded to a report of a drowning at Laber’s residence on Everglades Boulevard around 7:40 a.m. on June 17. The deputies performed chest compressions on the infant and then used an Automated External Defibrilator (AED) until paramedics and firefighters arrived and took over the lifesaving measures. The baby was later pronounced deceased at a local hospital.
Laber initially told deputies she briefly left the infant inside the house unattended while she went to retrieve her dog and another young child in her care after they went out the front door. She the said that when she returned, she found the infant slumped over on the floor, face-down, in the dog’s water bowl.
Further investigation by deputies revealed Laber had left the infant unattended in the tub while strapped to a booster seat. The infant drowned after the booster seat tipped over and trapped the child under a few inches of water.
Afterward, Laber cleaned up the scene, dressed the deceased child in a diaper, and lied to deputies by saying the child drowned in the dog’s water bowl.
Laber is currently in the Collier County jail charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.
(Source: Collier County Sheriff’s Office)
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