A babysitting job in Prairieville ended in tragedy when a 3-year-old boy was found unresponsive in a backyard pool on May 18. Joann Johnson, 37, turned herself in this week and has been booked on a negligent homicide charge after the child was flown to Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital and later died.
Deputies with the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office say they responded to a 911 call about a child in a pool at a home on Roy Rogers Road and tried lifesaving measures before the boy was airlifted to the hospital, according to WAFB. Detectives later learned the home belonged to the babysitter and opened a juvenile-unit investigation. Family members released a brief statement remembering the child and asking for privacy.
What detectives say
Detectives say surveillance footage shows two young children playing near the pool without safety gear before the boy fell in. Investigators say he remained unconscious in the water for roughly 20 minutes before Johnson retrieved him, according to WVLT. "For over 20 minutes, there was no supervision," Donovan Jackson, a public information officer with the sheriff’s office, said. Detectives described the childcare setup as an informal, family-friend arrangement rather than a licensed daycare, which they say factored into their negligence finding.
Charges, bond and possible sentence
Investigators obtained an arrest warrant and Johnson turned herself in on Wednesday. She was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail on one count of negligent homicide, with bond set at $100,000. Local reporting says she posted $10,000 and has since been released. Under Louisiana law the charge can carry two to 10 years in prison when the victim is under 10, according to KSLA.
Pool safety and context
Authorities urged extra precautions around pools as summer approaches. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 1 to 4, and most young-child drownings occur in residential pools. The CDC recommends multiple layers of protection, including fencing, constant adult supervision, life jackets, swim lessons and CPR training, to reduce risk, according to CDC.
