On the weekend, police in Michigan arrested a 35-year-old woman who they say attempted to drown her 2-year-old daughter in the bathtub using footage from their body cameras.
Records acquired by Law&Crime show that on Saturday, Jessica Deirdre Edward-Ricks was arrested and charged with two charges of assault with intent to murder, four counts of child abuse, and one case of simple assault.
Edward-Ricks, a mother of four, is suspected of stabbing her 2-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son, as well as forcing them to swallow a deadly cleaning solution.
About 10:30 a.m. on June 24, ADPS officers and deputies of the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department responded to a 911 call at a residence on Bluestem Court, which is about 90 miles west of Detroit, according to a press release from the Albion Department of Public Safety.
Edward-Ricks’ daughter, who is 15 years old, called 911, allegedly “screaming and asking for help.” When emergency personnel arrived, they entered the house and “heard a commotion” coming from the direction of the downstairs bathroom.
“An ADPS officer kicked the door open and found a 35-year-old woman holding a two-year-old under the water in the bathtub,” the release states.
“The ADPS officer quickly grabbed the two-year-old from the woman and took her into the living room, and began CPR. After giving a few quick breaths, the child coughed up water and began breathing on her own. The Sheriff’s Deputy detained the woman.”
The sheriff’s deputy can be heard on the body camera tape saying “boot it” before the ADPS officer kicks in the bathroom door. A woman, who appears to be an adult, is crouched over what looks like a young child in the tub.
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The mother was attempting to drown the child in the bathtub when the police arrived, and one of the cops asked, “What’s going on?” as he carried the infant into the living room.
The cop starts CPR chest compressions while saying, “Wake up baby” and “Breathe for me, baby” repeatedly. The clip indicates that the cop keeps performing chest compressions for nearly a full minute before the infant starts crying.
The toddler was stabbed multiple times, including once in the chest and once in the throat, according to the authorities. Her younger sibling, aged 4, also suffered several cut wounds. Two more kids, aged 8 and 15, were located there as well. It didn’t look like either one of them got hurt.
The tweet below verifies the news:
Watch: Police save 2-year-old allegedly being drowned in bathtub by mother with only seconds to spare
Full story here: https://t.co/RacVbMghLQ pic.twitter.com/cvE95Z0LOY
— Law & Crime (@lawcrimenews) June 28, 2023
A police officer detained Edward-Ricks and escorted her to the hospital because “she may have also ingested cleaning fluid.” Also affected were her two youngest children, who were transferred to a nearby facility before being evacuated to a children’s hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
As of Sunday, their conditions were reported to be stable. According to court documents, Edward-Ricks is presently being held at the Calhoun County Correctional Facility on a $500,000 bond.
According to WZZM of Grand Rapids, Michigan, an ABC station, she pled not guilty in court on Tuesday while being represented by a public attorney. When contacted by Law&Crime, the Calhoun County Public Defender’s Office did not immediately provide a statement.
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