She admitted leaving her daughter unsupervised for about four and a half hours, the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office said.

LUTZ – A woman is accused of manslaughter in the drowning death of her 3-year-old daughter, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.

Jasmine Neal, 3, of Lutz, died at Florida Hospital Tampa, where she was taken after she was found in the backyard pool at her home.

Her mother, Caitlin Joy Powell, 30, of Tampa, is charged with one count of aggravated manslaughter of a child. Powell turned herself into the Hillsborough County Jail on Tuesday (May 8) and was later released on bond.

Deputies said that, about 9:45 p.m. March 10, Powell arrived at her place of employment, JT’s Road House bar, 13609 N Florida Ave. in Tampa. At the beginning of her shift, Powell took one 15 mg pill of morphine that was prescribed to her by a doctor. At about midnight on March 11, she took another half pill of morphine during that same work shift.

While working, Powell drank four to five shots of Bailey’s Irish Cream and butterscotch liqueur. Powell left her work about 2:40 a.m. and drove to a friend’s house in Tampa tp pick up Jasmine. Powell and Jasmine drove to their home in Lutz, FL where she put child to bed and went to sleep.

Powell woke up twice that morning to use the bathroom and to change Jasmine’s diapers. Deputies said Powell was awakened about 12:25 p.m. by someone who told her Jasmine was in the backyard pool. Jasmine was taken to  Florida Hospital Tampa where she later died.

Deputies said the pool was heavily ridden with green algae and the visibility was barely past the first step. They said Powell knew the sliding glass doors that led to the backyard did not properly lock because the safety pin that binds both doors together had been missing for about one to two weeks. The bar Powell was allegedly using to secure the door was found in the back yard under a shovel.

There was a fence created in front of the pool; however, deputies said, there was a gap of about a foot next to the exterior wall that was blocked by a small metal cage (11.5 lbs) and a plastic pet carrier (3.95 lbs) that were both light weight.

Deputies said that investigation indicated that Jasmine had walked around the pool and fallen in. Powell admitted the child was unsupervised for about four and a half hours. Deputies said Powell failed to provide Jasmine with the care and supervision necessary to maintain the child’s physical and mental health. Deputies said Powell should have reasonably known her actions were likely to cause death or great bodily injury.

Hillsborough Sheriff | Crime | Child Drowning | Arrests | Tampabay News

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