A three-year-old boy drowned at a waterpark in Texas, United States, while his mother was engrossed in her phone for hours, singing along to music, according to the police. However, her lawyer blamed lifeguards for not being attentive, as reported by The New York Post. The incident occurred at Camp Cohen water park in El Paso. Jessica Weaver (35) faced accusations of negligence and was charged in connection with the tragic death of her only child, Anthony Leo Malave.
Several eyewitnesses also held her accountable for the incident, citing her alleged reckless inattentiveness in the lead-up to her son's drowning during the "soft opening" of the city-owned park in May, as reported by the El Paso Times.
On August 30, Mrs Weaver was apprehended in her hometown of Indiana, where she willingly agreed to extradition. She was then placed in custody at the El Paso County Jail on September 22 and was released on a $100,000 surety bond, according to the news outlet.
During the incident, it was one of the 18 lifeguards on duty at the park who rescued the three-year-old from a four-foot-deep section of the pool.
The child was not wearing a life vest, even though the facility had these devices available for guests, as reported in the paper.
Signs at Camp Cohen indicate that children under six must be actively supervised by a swimming adult, with an adult nearby for oversight at all times.
One witness described a woman who matched Mrs Weaver's appearance as being entirely absorbed in her phone by the pool, not looking up or paying attention to anything, for over an hour.
Another witness mentioned that the woman, whom he believed to be alone, was continuously taking photos while she was at the pool.
A third individual witnessed the woman singing along to a song playing and reclining, engrossed in her phone, approximately seven minutes before the child was pulled out of the water, according to the report.
