Dad who cIaims he took his 1-year-old to be with him when he noticed the chiId was awake, after consuming iIIegal substances and a night of heavy drinking, only to then faII asIeep with the toddIer in a ttub and find her Iimp when he woke up, later pronounced dead, is charged

Florida – A Washington D.C. man was taken into custody in Florida and charged with chiId negIect causing great bodiIy harm. The charge was later upgraded to include aggravated mansIaughter of a chiId, Florida authorities said. The parent, 33-year-old R. Hugh, remained in custody at the county jail as the investigation continued.

Deputies responded just after 3:30 a.m. Saturday to a home in Florida after someone reported an unresponsive child. Paramedics performed life-saving care and rushed the 1-year-old chiId to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead about an hour later. The Sheriff’s Office said the child appeared to have drowned in a tub at the property. Officials identified the house as a rentaI where the family from Washington, D.C., was staying.

According to investigators, the defendant told Florida authorities that he had taken the child into the hot tub and fell asleep with her in his arms. He said he woke to find the 1-year-old unresponsive. Detectives said witnesses and evidence at the scene led them to conclude that the father’s actions met the legal standard for neglect in the child’s death. Law enforcement officials also reported that he told them he had been drinking the night of the incident and that he had ingested two different iIIegal substances before getting into the water, and that alcohol likely contributed to his falling asleep.

The defendant told detectives during a post-Miranda interview that he went into the master bedroom and saw the girl’s mother and another baby sleeping. He said the 1-year-old chiId was awake and wanted to be with him, so he picked her up and went outside to the backyard tub. According to investigators, he said he was holding his  child in his arms when he fell asleep for about 20 minutes. He told detectives he woke up when he felt her head drop and realized something was wrong after noticing she was limp, according to the arrest report.

Investigators from the sheriff’s office and the medical team worked through the early morning to piece together what happened. Deputies and the County Fire Rescue personnel secured the scene and collected initial evidence. Detectives reviewed the physical layout of the rental property, spoke with family members who were present, and examined video or other records where available. The sheriff’s office said its detectives led a death investigation that included interviews with witnesses and the involved adults, and that the probe remained active while deputies continued to gather information.

The sheriff’s office statement said detectives determined the parent’s neglectful actions contributed to the child’s death, which led to the initial arrest charge of child neglect with great bodily harm. Florida authorities announced the aggravated manslaughter charge the following day after further review of the evidence. Prosecutors will decide how to proceed on the upgraded charge as investigators turn over their findings. The sheriff’s office asked anyone with additional information to contact investigators as the case remained under active review. Officials also noted there was another infant in the home at the time, a six-month-old, who was not injured.