IN - 3-year-old Valparaiso girl found dead in pond, mother arrested

[cybervampira]

Mom held after 3-year-old daughter found dead in Valparaiso pond, police say

Police arrested a Valparaiso woman on a preliminary felony charge of neglect of a dependent after they said her 3-year-old daughter died after going missing and later being found unresponsive in a pond Monday night.

Valparaiso police said the 32-year-old woman, of the 2700 block of Roanoke Court, was arrested and booked into the Porter County Jail after police interviewed her and learned of inconsistent statements regarding the time taken to notify police once the child was determined to be missing, according to a release from Sgt. Michael Grennes, public information officer for the Valparaiso Police Department. She has not been formally charged.

[...]

Mother arrested after 3-year-old found dead in NW Indiana pond

 

[dyannaON]

It never ends.
Rest In Peace darling.

 

[FlossyMay]

The little girl's name is Tamira Billingslea.

Mom charged in death of 3-year-old daughter found in pond

Emergency responders began treating Billingslea at the scene and then transported her to Porter Regional Hospital, where she later died.

The Porter County coroner said an autopsy of the child is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Police said Perkins was charged after it was determined that her explanation of the incident was inconsistent. Perkins was booked into the Porter County Jail on one felony count of neglect of a dependent.

 

[creepcrusher]

Awful!

 

[FlossyMay]

There must be a lot more to this story. If she was alive when they found her, she couldn't have been in the water that long. She died at the hospital a couple of hours after she was reported missing.

 

[cvaldez1975]

right, that other little boy on vacay was last seen at 6 am (assuming sleeping) and reported at 830 am and later was found dead in the water. whats the difference here? there must be something?

 

[24Roses]

right, that other little boy on vacay was last seen at 6 am (assuming sleeping) and reported at 830 am and later was found dead in the water. whats the difference here? there must be something?

I'm guessing that they thought the little girl wasn't missing as long as she was and possibly could be saved. Mom probably didn't report her missing for an extended period of time and that is part of the reason why she was arrested. All IMO. It has been a really brutal June/July for the little ones. Very sad.

 

[LaborDayRN]

I'm guessing that they thought the little girl wasn't missing as long as she was and possibly could be saved. Mom probably didn't report her missing for an extended period of time and that is part of the reason why she was arrested. All IMO. It has been a really brutal June/July for the little ones. Very sad.

It's also possible that there were signs of abuse or neglect. Poor sweet wee one. It never gets easier........

 

[cybervampira]

Mon pleads not guilty to neglect; daughter drowned in pond

A woman charged with neglect in the drowning death of her 3-year-old daughter has pleaded not guilty during her first appearance in a Porter County court.

Police say the 32-year-old Perkins gave conflicting statements about Tamira's disappearance. Investigators say the girl may have been missing for much longer than just a few minutes as Perkins initially claimed.

A neighbor told police that she loudly urged Perkins to call police to help in the search for Tamira.

 

[FlossyMay]

Even if she was gone longer than the mother said, I don't see how that could be considered neglect if she was actively looking for her. I mean if she was sitting in the house filing her nails, maybe. I still think there's more to it than just that.

 

[cvaldez1975]

Even if she was gone longer than the mother said, I don't see how that could be considered neglect if she was actively looking for her. I mean if she was sitting in the house filing her nails, maybe. I still think there's more to it than just that.

same. im thinking she may have been afraid to call the police.

 

[mistivon]

@Niner can you please check the Indiana court site for Tasia Porter when you have a minute? Link is
https://mycase.in.gov/default.aspx

Last I could find, she had her bond reduced and was supposed to go to trial in September. I can't find any info anywhere and am curious to see what happened.

Thanks so much!