A 23-year-old woman named O. Miller has entered a plea of not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in a tragic case that has rocked the community in Michigan.
The infant son of the mother drowned while she was using her smartphone for about 30 minutes.
Miller filed the plea this week in relation to the death of her 8-month-old son, according to court documents. As a result of her plea deal, she could spend up to a year in jail.
On November 22, 2023, Miller put her son in a bathtub with a few inches of water flowing in it. This is when the upsetting occurrences happened.
Miller initially told detectives that she had gone into the adjoining room to change laundry, leaving the bathroom, and that when she came back in five minutes, her baby was floating face-up with his lips and nose submerged.
She made an effort to revive herself till help arrived. The 8-month-old child was taken to the hospital by first responders, where he tragically passed away.
But as the investigation progressed, Miller’s story began to show contradictions. Investigators saw that Miller’s account of what happened evolved over time, casting further doubt on her first account.
A probable cause affidavit highlighted the variations in her stories about the circumstances leading to Asher’s death. Data recovered from Miller’s cellphone, which provided a different picture of her actions at the time, supported this contradiction.
According to cellphone records, Miller started using her phone at 3:17 p.m. and did not stop for more than eighteen seconds until she called for help at 3:38 p.m.
About four minutes before calling 911, Miller sent her father a text message, adding to the confusion: “Just trying to talk while I have time while he is taking a nap.”
In addition, she made two calls to the boy’s paternal grandmother to let her know about the drowning before deciding to dial 911.
The county’s chief medical examiner confirmed that drowning was the cause of the 8-month-old boy’s death, and the autopsy report was categorical in its conclusions.
Additional investigation revealed that before assistance arrived, the kid had been left alone on the bathtub floor for at least twenty minutes.
Given the seriousness of the negligence involved, Miller could spend up to a year in jail under the terms of the plea deal.
Miller’s lawyer, F. Stanley, stressed that Miller had no malicious intent and called the event a terrible accident that left Miller severely damaged emotionally.
“This is a tragic situation,” he said. She loves that child, and the loss of him has caused her much emotional suffering. Early in November, Miller is expected to be sentenced, at which point the entire weight of the law will be placed on her acts.