An Alabama father who was arrested after his baby son drowned in the bathtub claims he left the room to play video games and forgot the baby was there, authorities said.
The 5-month-old was not breathing when deputies from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call at the Tarrant, Alabama, home Sunday night, the sheriff’s office said.
Paramedics took the baby to the hospital where he soon was pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said.
The baby’s father, 23-year-old Cordarius Cotton, told detectives he had turned the water on and put the baby in the tub and then left the room to play a video game, the sheriff’s office said.
Cotton told detectives he forgot about the baby and “when he returned to the bathtub about an hour later he found the child was unresponsive,” the sheriff’s office said. Detectives believe Cotton’s claim, Sgt. Jake Self told ABC News.
Cotton was arrested and charged with reckless manslaughter.
The baby’s mother was not home at the time, Self said. Two other children live at the home and one was there at the time of the incident, Self said.
The two children were placed in the care of a grandmother pending an investigation, he said.
It was not immediately clear if Cotton has entered a plea or has an attorney.
