SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police have arrested a man and a woman who they say left their son alone in a bathtub full of water Tuesday afternoon, causing him to drown.
The 8-month-old boy, identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office as Micah Flores, died two days later.
Recommended Videos
San Antonio police said Estevan Flores, 30, and Michelle Sallin, 29, have each been charged with injury to a child.
An arrest affidavit says Flores placed his son into the bathtub, left the water running, then left the room.
The affidavit says he became involved in a video phone call.
About 15 minutes later, Flores and Sallin found the child floating in the bathtub with the water overflowing, the affidavit said.
A preliminary report from SAPD states officers responded to the home and found Sallin performing chest compressions on the baby.
The baby was taken to a hospital in critical condition but later succumbed to his injuries.
Police said the person on the other end of the phone call, who was not identified in the affidavit, told them that he or she saw the baby later, lifeless and lying on a bed.
That person, who is referred to as a witness, told them Flores and Sallin had not called 911 and did not appear to be doing anything to help the baby.
KSAT 12 News contacted Yadina Gonzales, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, about the case and to determine whether there were any other children living in the home.
Gonzales declined to offer details, saying that DFPS investigations are confidential.
However, Gonzales did point out some statistics regarding child drowning deaths, noting that this marked the eighth one in the region and the 82nd in the state this year.
Gonzales said bathtub drownings accounted for about 26% of child water deaths so far this year.
For more information on keeping children safe around water, you can visit getparentingtips.com.