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December 23, 2024
December 5, 2024

DeKalb County mother charged with murder after 1-year-old drowns in bathtub

Written by: E. George

Published December 5, 2024 @ 12:30 PM ET

Warning: The following story contains information regarding alleged physical violence against/neglect of children.

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. – Authorities arrested a 27-year-old DeKalb County woman on Thursday, November 7, 2024, and charged her with second-degree cruelty to children after her one-year-old daughter drowned in a bathtub while allegedly unsupervised. The victim was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and spent four days there before sadly passing away on Monday, November 11, 2024.

When the child died, Ronica Jones’s charges were changed to murder; however, officials said the investigation is still active. Jones was transported to jail and released on bond, with her family supporting her and explaining that she has another young child.

Reports indicated that Jones was bathing her three-year-old child and the victim together in the tub; she walked away, leaving them unattended briefly, and upon her return, she found her younger child beneath the water. Jones’s family described the incident differently.

The victim’s grandfather said Ronica “explained that she was bathing her and that she turned to get the towel, and when she turned back around, she slipped and fell in the tub.” 911 was called “to pick the baby up; that’s when they had arrested her,” he stated.

Heartbroken, he expressed that now they only have memories and photographs of the baby. He added, “She was a happy little child, you know? Spunky, fun.”

The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office stated, “The case involving Ronica Jones is still in the early stages. The DeKalb County Police Department is the lead investigative agency, and any charging decisions at this point have been made by DKPD. As we do in all cases, our office will review the facts and conduct a follow-up investigation before making a final charging decision and presenting the case to the Grand Jury.”