According to the New York Post, at Camp Cohen Water Park in El Paso, a tragic incident unfolded, resulting in the drowning of 3-year-old Anthony Leo Malave.
His mother, Jessica Weaver, aged 35, has been accused of negligence and charged with injury to her child. The New York Post, citing the El Paso Times, reported that, according to witnesses present there, Weaver appeared engrossed in her phone for an extended period and seemed "inattentive" while her son was near the pool. The incident occurred during the soft opening of the park in May, according to a criminal complaint.
The document, as cited by the El Paso Times, said that one of the 18 lifeguards working at the park pulled Antony out of a 4-foot-deep section of the pool where he had drowned. The child was found not wearing a life vest, though the same was available at the facility.
Signs at Camp Cohen Water Park indicate that children under 6 years of age should be supervised by a swimming expert with an adult nearby for oversight at all times.
According to the investigators, the New York Post reported that one witness described her as 'never looking up or paying attention to anything' while glued to her phone by the pool for over an hour. Another witness reported that she was snapping photos continuously.
A third witness noted that just minutes before the child was pulled out of the water, the mother was singing along to a song and looking at her phone.
It was reported that one witness even stated that the mother 'encouraged the toddler to go into the pool before walking away and leaving the boy by himself.' The same witness heard that it took 'about five minutes' for Weaver to respond after everyone was told to get out of the pool.
Notably, Jessica Weaver has filed a lawsuit against the city of El Paso, seeking $1 million in damages. She claimed gross negligence by the park and its lifeguards. This case remains a tragic and complex one, with Weaver's lawyers claiming that the criminal charges against her are in retaliation for the wrongful-death lawsuit, a stance disputed by El Paso DA Bill Hicks.
(Input From Various Media Sources)
(Rehash/Dr.Shelja Chauhan)
