Baby Dies After Being Left in a Tub of Water, Mother in Police Custody

A 24-year-old woman being held at the Hazelwood Police Department (HPD) after her infant son died Monday afternoon.

The woman said she left her baby alone in a bathtub full of water in a hotel room at about 2:30 p.m. today at the Extended Stay America Hotel at 6065 North Lindbergh Boulevard, HPD said in a statement.

Police said the mother intended to bathe the baby and walked away leaving the baby in the bath tub with the water running. The mother told HPD she became distracted and left the bathroom for a short period of time.

She said she realized what she had done, went back into the bathroom and found him not breathing in the tub full of water, according to HPD.

She said she took the baby out of the tub and began giving him CPR as she called 911. Officers and EMS arrived and found the nine-month-old boy on the floor in the room with his mother as she was administering CPR.

The baby was taken to SSM DePaul Health Center where efforts to resuscitate the baby continued but were unsuccessful. The baby was pronounced dead shortly after 3 p.m.

The baby was turned over to the St. Louis County Medical Examiner's Office to determine exactly how he died.

The mother is in custody pending further investigation. No charges have been filed at this time so a name has not been released.