Police: Georgia mom who ‘willfully’ left toddler son unsupervised for 14 hours before he drowned gets slapped with felony murder charge

A Bartow County, Georgia, woman is facing a felony murder charge after her 3-year-old son drowned in a swimming pool on Monday. Reportedly, the little boy was left unsupervised for 14 hours.

On Memorial Day, paramedics and police were called to a home close to Cartersville, Georgia, after the toddler was found unresponsive in an above-ground swimming pool. Earlier reports indicated that a deputy pulled the child out of the pool, but Crime Online spoke exclusively with the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office officials and learned that the boy was already out of pool and his mother was attempting CPR on him when authorities arrived.

According to paramedics, the boy had been underwater too long to resuscitate. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police arrested the child’s mother, 32-year-old Bobbie Jessica Prather, and charged her with felony murder. Crime Online spoke with Sgt. Rogers with Bartow County Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Persons Division, who said that Prather “willfully” left four children, all under the age of five, alone in the home for 14 hours.

Rogers said that there is no evidence so far of drugs use but that other arrest may follow, as there were other adults in the home when police arrived. In addition to felony murder, Prather is also charged with four felony counts of cruelty to children.

In the state of Georgia, according to Rogers, a suspect can get slapped with a felony murder charge if they willfully do something that leads to the death of another person, whether intentional or not. Felony murder charges can also occur when a death happens during the commission of another felony, such as leaving young children unattended for 14 hours, which constitutes a felony cruelty to children charge.

Prather made her first appearance in court on Wednesday morning. Check back with Crime Online as additional details become available.

[Feature Photo: Handout/Bartow County Sheriff’s Office]