Jaila Thomas, 22, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse Thursday morning in Wayne County Circuit Court, according to WXYZ-TV.
Prosecutors contend that Thomas had been drinking alone in her apartment on Aug. 26 when she woke up and found her baby, Lauren Williams, unresponsive and floating in the bathtub around 5 a.m., the news station reported.
BREAKING: 22 year old Jaila Thomas appears in court, to be arraigned on charges in connection with the death of her 18 day old infant daughter. Thomas showed no emotion, after prosecutors say she was drunk, when her child drowned in the bathtub. @wxyzdetroit #12PM pic.twitter.com/vRyMjLnHqp
— Simon Shaykhet WXYZ (@simonshaykhet) August 29, 2019
Paramedics responded, but were unable to save the infant, who was pronounced at the scene. Investigators determined the baby drowned in the tub.
In a news release, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy called “the alleged facts in this case appalling.”
"This baby was only in this world for eighteen days,” Worthy said.
“Do I really have to say this? Don’t attempt to care for any infant when you are intoxicated,” she said.
Williams is due back in court on Sept. 12.
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