Mother charged with felony child neglect in son’s drowning

By Kyle B. Hansen

Tuesday, May 11, 2010 | 6:56 p.m.

The mother of a 2-year-old boy who drowned in a home swimming pool earlier this month was arrested Monday and charged with felony child neglect, Metro Police said.

Mary Jane Lopez, 22, was charged with one count of felony child neglect with substantial bodily harm resulting in death and two counts of felony child neglect, one for each of the other children who were home at the time of the incident, police said.

Clark County Child Protective Services took the victim’s two siblings into protective custody, officials said.

Officers were called to the home in the 4800 block of Santa Barbara Street in southeast Las Vegas at 7:41 p.m. on May 2. When officers arrived, they found the child, previously identified as Geno Valerio, had been removed from the pool and was lifeless, police said.

Investigators said the victim’s grandmother came home about 7 p.m. and found the child in the family’s backyard pool.

The mother, who was home with the child and two infants, had last seen the victim alive earlier that afternoon, police said.

Police believe the child got to the pool through an open sliding glass door.