Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Police: Mom says baby in near-drowning left unattended in tub

A mother arrested after her 7-month-old daughter nearly drowned in a bathtub Friday said she left the child unattended for five minutes, according to a Metro Police arrest report released Monday.

Lori Martinez, 28, told detectives she was “only gone for five minutes” and returned to find her daughter floating and not breathing in a tub half full of water, the report said.

Metro Police were called at 12:40 p.m. Friday to an apartment near Owens Avenue and H Street. When they arrived, the infant was breathing, the report states.

Police classified the incident as a near drowning. The child was transferred to University Medical Center in stable condition.

Martinez told detectives she placed the infant in a few inches of water and went downstairs to get a glass of water, the report states. On the way back, she stopped to use the bathroom, according to the arrest report.

Martinez was arrested on a count of felony child neglect and booked into the Clark County Detention Center, police said.

Martinez’s four other school-age children were not home at the time of the incident, according to the arrest report.

The baby has been placed in protective custody, said Christine Skorupski, spokeswoman for the Clark County Department of Family Services.

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