20-year-old father left baby in running water while he scrolled on his phone in another room
20-year-old Seffan Mederious of Kentucky is facing criminal charges after he told police he left his infant daughter unattended in a bathtub while he scrolled on his phone in another room and returned to find the baby floating in water.
Police in Covington, Ky. responded Tuesday (May 26) to reports of an infant who was not breathing. The baby girl was discovered unresponsive after being left alone in a bathtub filled with water. Seffan Mederious is alleged to have left the child unattended for approximately five minutes.
Mederious then took the infant to a relative’s home, where 911 was called. The child was transported to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
Authorities also allege that Mederious left the scene before first responders completed their investigation and was found hiding in another house. Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders criticized the father’s actions following the incident.
“I do know that when police arrived on the scene, Mr. Mederious had fled the residence and was found hiding at a nearby relative’s residence,” Sanders said, according to Fox34. “He didn’t stick around to help police and firefighters, and he didn’t respond to the hospital to see how the baby was doing.” Sanders added that Mederious “felt it more important to run away from the scene.”
Mederious has been charged with wanton endangerment and criminal abuse. He appeared in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing, and prosecutors say the case is expected to be presented to a grand jury.
Officials emphasized that while parenting mistakes can happen, leaving young children in dangerous situations can carry serious legal consequences.
“We take children’s safety very seriously in Kenton County,” Sanders said. “We don’t expect parents to be perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but they can’t do things that place their child at the risk of serious injury or death or there’s going to be consequences for it.”
