Baton Rouge Mom Arrested After 1-Year-Old Found in Backyard Pool

BATON ROUGE, La. (KPEL-FM) - A Baton Rouge mother has been arrested after her one-year-old son was found unresponsive in the family’s backyard pool, according to an arrest affidavit.

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Authorities say 33-year-old Kelly Briscoe faces charges of cruelty to juveniles, child desertion, and improper supervision of a minor by a parent following the incident.

Deputies: Toddler Found in Backyard Pool on Tiger Bend Road

Deputies with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported drowning on Tiger Bend Road on September 7. The child was discovered at the bottom of the 12-foot pool and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was later released, though the arrest report notes he may experience long-term medical complications.

READ MORE: Slidell Police Say Grandmother Was Impaired When Child Was Killed

According to investigators, Briscoe told police that her one-year-old and his two-year-old brother were playing near their father while he was on his iPad. When Briscoe asked her husband to get the boys ready for bed, he took them outside to play. Briscoe said she then went to the bedroom.

After not hearing the children for a while, Briscoe went to check and found her younger son at the bottom of the pool, with the two-year-old standing nearby, unsupervised.

Surveillance Footage Shows How the Child Fell In

Deputies later reviewed surveillance footage, which showed both children walking along the pool’s edge before the one-year-old slipped on the corner and fell into the water. He was submerged for about four minutes, according to the report.

Previous Incident Cited in Arrest Affidavit

The affidavit also references a previous incident from February, when deputies found the couple’s two-year-old wandering in the road in front of their home. Briscoe reportedly told authorities she had let the dogs out and didn’t realize her child had gone outside.