A mother in Louisiana has been arrested after her 6-year-old daughter with special needs wandered into a lake and drowned, according to law enforcement.
Sabine Parish Sheriff Aaron Mitchell confirmed that a 6-year-old child drowned at Toledo Bend Lake on May 19, according to KSLA.
Bethany Stocking, 27, of Many, has been arrested and charged with cruelty to juveniles stemming from the incident.
Just before 6pm on May 19, deputies received a report that a child had been pulled from the lake. The girl was later pronounced dead at a medical facility.
According to law enforcement officials, the girl had special needs and had been left unattended near the water. She reportedly walked from a house near the lake to the water, where she fell in.
Stocking pulled her daughter from the water and began giving her CPR until first responders arrived.
Her bond had not been set as of this report.
According to law enforcement officials, Stocking was on probation from another arrest in 2023 in which she pleaded guilty to cruelty to juveniles and DWI with child endangerment.
The incident remains under investigation.
