Father Charged In Drowning Death Of 1-Year-Old Son: Sheriff

CLEARWATER, FL - Alan Morris left his 1-year-old son Liam in a bath unattended last month and minutes later the boy was found submerged underwater. The boy later died at a hospital. On Thursday, his father was arrested on aggravated manslaughter charges.

“It’s always a tough situation, especially arresting parents, but when you leave a 1-year-old in the bathtub with the water running... it’s beyond careless, it’s criminal,” said Sheriff Bob Gualtieri at a Thursday press conference.

The child was left unattended for between 8 to 23 minutes, investigators said Thursday. Morris, 34, pulled Liam from the water and called 911 while the child’s mother, Madelynne Barenbrugge, 34, performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

Gualtieri provided details on events leading up to the boy’s death. After dinner, the sheriff said Morris prepared the bath, but instead of putting the child in the bath’s baby seat, he sat Liam on the floor of the tub, plugged the drain and turned on the water, News Channel 8 reported.

The father left Liam alone while he went into an adjacent room with Barenbrugge. The couple would not provide details to investigators on what they were discussing.

Morris checked on the child after he heard the water overflowing and found his son submerged in the tub.
Detectives later found marijuana and syringes inside the home, along with two drugs to treat opioid addiction. The couple said they have used marijuana, but did not smoke on the day of their son's death, according to the sheriff's office. Both Morris and Barenbrugge refused to take drug tests or meet with detectives for interviews, deputies said.

Read the News Channel 8 story here.

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