Phoenix-area toddler declared dead after drowning, mom arrested
Sep 4, 2015, 4:49 PM
PHOENIX — A 1-year-old girl who was found unresponsive after drowning in a bathtub was declared dead Friday and her mother has been arrested in relation to the case, according to the Peoria Police Department.
Police arrived to the scene around 12:30 a.m. Sept. 4 and found the girl not breathing on the floor. Officers began revival efforts, but the child was transported and later declared dead at Thunderbird Samaritan Hospital in Glendale, Arizona.
Initial reports said Brenda Ramirez, the girl’s mother, was giving her 1- and 3-year-old daughters a bath in their Peoria apartment. Ramirez said the girl drowned in the bathtub while she stepped away for “just a few minutes,” according to a press release.
Ramirez was arrested on child abuse charges and will be transported to Maricopa County Jail. Her 3-year-old daughter was taken by DCS officials.
KTAR News’ Jessica Suerth contributed to this report.