A Mother of Knox County, Tennessee, was arrested for the drowning of her 11-month-old son in a bathtub and was later charged with first-degree murder, according to authorities.
The 32-year-old mother, Lindsee Leonardo, was charged with murder, aggravated child abuse, neglect, and endangerment after law enforcement and EMT workers rushed to her home to discover the baby unresponsive this past Wednesday evening.
Leonardo alleged to tell law enforcement that she left her baby boy along with her 23-month-old child in a tub filled with 4-6 inches of water, then “went outside to smoke a cigarette and have some ‘me time,’” according to an arrest warrant.
“(Leonardo) stated she was outside for about 10 minutes and listened to two songs on her phone,” the warrant states. “Defendant stated when she came back inside she went to the bathroom to find the 23-month-old had turned the water on and the bathtub was filled to the top.”
She was alleged to have found her baby floating on his back, not able to breathe and her toddler standing up in the tub. Leonardo then called 911 and performed CPR while following the 911 operator’s instructions.
The baby was rushed to Tennova Turkey Creek Medical Center by ambulance where his heartbeat was recovered according to the warrant. The baby was later transferred to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, where he later died.
Leonardo remains in jail after being unable to place a $350,000 bond.
