On Monday, police responded to a call from an adult about an unresponsive infant and arrived at the home to find Jeremiah Mitchell unconscious in the bathtub. He was immediately transported to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
The boy’s mother Markiya Mitchell, 25, was taken into custody at the scene of the crime. While being interviewed by investigators, she reportedly “admitted to intentionally drowning her son with the purpose of ending his life.” Police didn’t identify the adult who found the child and called 911, but they said “that person has been fully cooperative with the investigation.” Court paperwork alleged that Mitchell filled the bathtub of her home with 8 to 10 inches of water and purposely left Jeremiah submerged in the tub alone for one to two hours.
"The defendant by these actions intentionally caused the death of her infant son," the felony complaint against Mitchell read.
Police revealed that Mitchell has a criminal record, but they would not give details on her criminal history. Authorities also declined to discuss her mental state. The assistant district attorney would not discuss details of the case while it’s still under active investigation. In addition to her late 10-day-old son, Mitchell is also the mother of a 7-year-old child, who was not home at the time of the incident and is currently in the care of another family member.
Mitchell was arraigned on the second-degree murder charge in connection to Jeremiah's death on Tuesday morning and is scheduled to return to court on Friday for a preliminary hearing. She pleaded not guilty during her arraignment and was taken back to jail without bail. Additional charges reportedly may be filed, pending consideration by the grand jury.
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