A mother from Michigan has pleaded guilty to charges related to the drowning of her infant son, who was left unattended in the bathtub for 20 minutes while she was on the phone.
On Monday, Olivia Miller, 23, pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of 8-month-old Asher Johnson, according to court records. Under the terms of the plea deal, she could be sentenced to a maximum of one year in prison.
According to earlier reports, the incident emerged on November 22, 2023, when a mother contacted emergency services around 3:38 p.m., informing the dispatcher that her son had tragically drowned in the bathtub of their residence located in the 4600 block of 16 Mile Road Northwest.
Upon arrival, emergency personnel discovered the baby positioned face up on the ground and immediately initiated lifesaving measures. He passed away at a medical facility.
Miller informed detectives that she had put her son in a bathtub with a few inches of running water before stepping into the next room to tend to the laundry. She stated that she came back after roughly five minutes to discover her son floating faceup in the water, with his mouth and nose submerged. She stated that she attempted to revive Asher until help arrived.
Authorities indicated that, as time passed, Miller’s account of the events from that day evolved.
“Throughout the investigation, Olivia (Miller) gave varying stories of what occurred surrounding Asher’s death,” deputies wrote in a probable cause affidavit obtained by MLive.
The report reveals that investigators accessed information from Miller’s cellphone that seemed to contradict her statements to the police. The data reportedly said Miller began using her phone in various capacities at 3:17 p.m. and that she used the device continuously — taking only a single break that lasted 18 seconds — until she called 911 about 21 minutes later.
Miller allegedly sent her father a text message roughly four minutes prior to dialing 911, stating, “Just trying to talk while I have time while Asher’s taking a nap.”
Miller allegedly contacted Asher’s paternal grandmother twice, informing her that the baby had drowned prior to her making the 911 call.
A county medical examiner’s autopsy revealed that Asher died from drowning. The medical examiner determined that the infant had been positioned on his back on the floor for at least 20 minutes prior to the arrival of authorities at Miller’s residence.
Miller’s sentencing is scheduled for early November.