MINNEHAHA COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA: Ashlynn Swenson-Marshall, a 20-year-old woman has been sentenced in connection to the death of her two-month-old infant who drowned in the bathtub after being left unattended.
The two-month-old identified in court documents as LW was shifted to a hospital following the incident. However, the infant was pronounced dead three days later when life support was taken off, reports Law and Crime.
What are the charges against Ashlynn Marshall?
The South Dakota woman who left her baby unattended in the bath for nearly 10 minutes was charged with second-degree manslaughter and cruelty to a minor.
Marshall agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter in exchange for the latter charge being dropped.
A sentencing hearing for the woman has not yet been announced and she could face a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in a state correctional facility along with a fine amount of $20,000 under the South Dakota law.
Last week, Marshall made her court appearance in Minnehaha District Court where she pleaded guilty to the manslaughter charges for the "reckless killing" of her baby.
Ashlynn Marshall was 'visibly shaking' when first responders arrived at the scene
On July 20, Sioux Falls Police Department officers and Sioux Falls Fire Rescue personnel received a call from a residence located in North Career Avenue's 3600 block informing them about an infant in cardiac arrest.
After the first responders arrived at the scene, they reportedly saw Marshall "visibly shaking, crying, and breathing at a rapid pace."
The infant found in the bathroom of the home was immediately taken to a hospital and was later pronounced dead.
What was the infant's cause of death?
An autopsy later determined that the victim's cause of death was anoxic brain injury due to drowning.
Initially, in Marshall's interview with the investigators, she claimed she was bathing LW and her other child simultaneously.
She asserted that she turned her attention to the other child momentarily which led to LW going underwater for up to 10 seconds.
At the time, Marshall's sister-in-law entered the bathroom, initiated CPR, and contacted the authorities.
As investigators found inconsistencies in Marshall's statements, especially when compared to her 15-year-old brother-in-law's statement about what happened on the night of the incident.
The teenager reportedly stated that Marshall came out of the bathroom to the living room to assist him with an issue with his pay stub.
Based on this evidence, it became apparent that she had left her children in the bathtub unattended.
Later, Marshall stated she left the children unattended "for a couple of minutes," and added it was "maybe about two minutes."
