A mother from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been arrested on serious charges after her one-year-old son nearly drowned in the family's backyard pool while he was reportedly unsupervised.
A Frightening Discovery in the Pool
Kelly Briscoe, 33, was charged with cruelty to juveniles, child desertion, and the improper supervision of a minor following the early September incident. The event unfolded after Briscoe had asked her husband to prepare their two young children for bed while she went to her room. According to police reports, the husband, who was playing on his iPad, allegedly told her he would take the children outside.
Surveillance footage later showed the couple's two-year-old and one-year-old sons wandering near the pool unattended. The younger child slipped on the pool's corner and plunged into the deep end. He remained submerged for nearly four minutes before his mother, who had gone looking for the children after not hearing them for some time, discovered him at the bottom of the 12-foot pool.
Past Incidents and Legal Consequences
The one-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital and has since been discharged. However, authorities have indicated he could still face ongoing medical issues as a result of the near-drowning. The arrest report also revealed a previous incident from February, where the couple's older child was found unattended in a nearby roadway. Briscoe told authorities at that time that she had been letting the dogs out and did not realise the child had slipped out.
It remains unclear if the children's father will face any charges in connection with the recent pool incident. Under Louisiana state law, Kelly Briscoe faces a potential custody period of up to 12.5 years if convicted on the current charges.
A Contrasting Case of Severe Child Abuse
In a separate but similarly distressing case from Kansas, Crystina Schroer, 51, of Rose Hill, was sentenced to 215 months in prison for her role in the 2020 death of her six-year-old adopted daughter, Natalie Marie Garcia, also known as Kennedy Schroer. Schroer had adopted five girls and was found to have subjected them to horrific abuse, including forcing them into moving boxes overnight and starving them.
Natalie tragically died of suffocation after being placed in a small box with heavy blankets and objects on top, while her sister was forced to watch.
