A Lyft driver’s quick 911 call helped save a 2-year-old boy from a horrific alleged bathtub "sacrifice" in Chicago, and now the child’s father is headed to prison for it.
Jeremiah Campbell, the boy’s father, has been sentenced to 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to attempted murder in connection with the August 2023 incident. The child survived and was taken to a hospital after officers broke into the home and pulled him from the tub.
Court records show Campbell entered his guilty plea earlier this year. In March, a judge ordered him to serve 12 years, with credit for 942 days already spent in custody and a requirement that he serve at least 85 percent of the term, according to WGN.
How Police Say Officers Stopped The Attack
Prosecutors say the chain of events began when a Lyft driver called 911 after allegedly hearing Campbell threaten that he would drown his toddler son as a "sacrifice to Jehovah." Around the same time, dispatchers received a separate call reporting that a child had drowned at the same address, according to Law & Crime.
Responding officers looked through a window, forced their way into the home and pulled the 2-year-old from the bathtub, authorities said. Paramedics rushed the boy to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Neighbors recalled a chaotic scene spilling into the street once police arrived. "They brought the child out and he was just drenched and coughing," a neighbor told WGN, adding that the incident left residents badly shaken.
Prior History And Charges
Court records and prosecutors say Campbell was already on the system’s radar before the bathtub case. In November 2021, he was placed on 36 months of probation after pleading guilty to aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm and domestic battery resulting in bodily harm, and a protection order barred him from contacting the child’s mother, as Fox News reported.
After the August 2023 incident, Campbell was indicted on attempted murder and related counts, and he ultimately pleaded guilty this year.
Prison Placement And What Comes Next
State prison listings and court filings indicate Campbell is now under the authority of the Illinois Department of Corrections and is listed at Stateville Correctional Center, a maximum-security facility near Joliet. The facility’s information is posted on the IDOC site.
Context And Community Concerns
The case slots into a grim pattern of recent, high-profile incidents in Cook County that have fueled public debate over mental health resources for caregivers and how warning signs are handled, experts told reporters. A Chicago Sun-Times investigation catalogued several caregiver-involved child-harm cases and called for stronger interventions and supports.
With Campbell’s sentence now imposed, the criminal case in Cook County is largely wrapped up, aside from any future appeals or filings. What remains unresolved are the long-term recovery of the boy and how effectively protection orders and social-service safeguards will function for the family going forward.
