20-05-2025
Milwaukee infant drowned in bathtub, mother charged with negligence
Four minutes.
That's how long a Milwaukee mother told police her two young children were in a bathtub with water and out of her eyesight. And that was long enough for one of them to turn up dead.
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Selena Renee Doxzon, 28, has been charged with neglecting a child, resulting in death, according to a criminal complaint filed on May 19.
According to the complaint, Doxzon left her 13-month-old son and 3-year-old son unattended in a bathtub on May 15 while she went to the kitchen to make breakfast and wash dishes.
After about four minutes, the 3-year-old walked into the kitchen soaking wet. Doxzon went back to the bathroom and found the infant floating face-up and unresponsive, the complaint said.
A neighbor assisted with CPR until emergency responders arrived. The child was taken to Children's Wisconsin hospital, where officials pronounced him dead.
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The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's preliminary ruling listed the cause of death as asphyxiation due to drowning.
Investigators noted in the complaint the water in the bathtub was 3½ to 4 inches in depth, and that it reached the child's lower abdomen.
Investigators said Doxzon acknowledged the water level was too high for the younger child's size and conceded she could not see the bathroom from the kitchen to keep an eye on the children, the complaint said.
Children account for roughly one in four of the 3,500 drowning deaths that occur each year in the United States, according to the Children's Safety Network, a Massachusetts-based agency that works with state and jurisdiction programs to create safer environments for children.
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Nearly half of the children who die from drown are infants or toddlers. Most infant drownings occur in bathtubs, according to Children's Safety Network data.
The charge Doxzom faces is a class-D felony, and carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Infant drowned in bathtub, Milwaukee mother faces negligence charge
