NJ 3-Year-Old’s Cause Of Death Confirmed, Mother Locked In Psychiatric Facility

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — The cause of death of the three-year-old Florham Park girl found dead in a tub last week has been confirmed, and her mother has been placed in a secure psychiatric facility, a spokesperson for the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office said Monday.

Jeanine Glass, 43, of Florham Park, was charged with the murder of her daughter last week after police found the young girl dead in her home.

See Related: NJ Mother Charged With Murder After 3-Year-Old Daughter Found Dead In Tub

According to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the three-year-old’s cause of death was drowning, with the “manner of death to be homicide.”

Glass, who required medical attention when police arrived at her home, was found semi-unconscious while wearing wet clothes, according to investigators. According to court documents, Glass may have been suffering from a drug overdose.

She appeared in court on Monday and was transferred to a psychiatric facility on the consent of the parties, according to officials.

Glass is charged with first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. She is scheduled for a pre-indictment conference on Sept. 2.

Representing Glass is Anne Collart, a private lawyer. Collart's team says that Glass's "longstanding history of mental illness" played a major role in the incident, and that her family is "determined to get through this together." Collart added that Glass's illness was well-managed with psychiatric care for many years.

"As a close-knit family that has long advocated for mental health awareness, they are determined to get through this together," Glass's defense team told Patch. "We are grateful the prosecutor and the court agree with medical experts that it is in the best interest of all parties that Jeanine receives psychiatric care in a secure medical setting, as she continues to cooperate with the court. Jeanine’s family kindly requests the public’s prayers and support for those impacted – as well as respect for their privacy during this extremely difficult time.”

The prosecution is being led by Christopher Schellhorn. Judge Stephen J. Taylor will preside over the pre-indictment conference.