A Texas mom has been accused of allowing her three-year-old son to drown at a water park as she allegedly ‘spent hours looking at her phone and singing along to music,’ witnesses told police.
Anthony Leo Malave, 3, died May 13 after being found unresponsive in a four-foot pool at the Camp Cohen Water Park, in El Paso Texas.
The boy’s mother, Jessica Weaver, 35, has been accused of being negligent and was arrested in connection with the drowning on August 30 and charged with injury to a child by omission.
Seven witnesses revealed the shocking behavior of a woman matching Weaver’s description the day Anthony died.
They detailed the careless and avoidable nature of the incident in a police report obtained by KFOX.
Jessica Weaver, 35, has been accused of being negligent and was arrested in connection with the drowning on August 30 and charged with injury to a child by omission
Seven witnesses at the El Paso Camp Cohen Water Park (pictured) revealed the shocking behavior of a woman matching Weaver’s description the day Anthony died
Witness one said ‘a woman, matching Weaver’s description, was on her phone, sitting outside of a pool for over an hour.’
They added that the person ‘never looked up or paid attention to anything.’
Two witnesses said that they saw the boy without his mother adding that they saw ‘Weaver laying down and singing along to her phone, for approximately seven minutes before the toddler was pulled out of the water.’
Two witnesses said that they saw Anthony without supervision – adding that they saw ‘Weaver laying down and singing along to her phone, for approximately seven minutes before the toddler was pulled out of the water’
Another said: ‘A woman matching Weaver’s description that day, encouraged the toddler to go into the pool before walking away and leaving the boy by himself.’
This same witness also said that ‘it took Weaver five minutes to run to the pool after lifeguards had blown the whistle for everyone to get out.’
As the devastating drowning was unfolding one witness told police they believed ‘Weaver was in the water park by herself’ as they didn’t see her with a child.
‘Weaver did not immediately react to the situation and was surprised to learn that she was the mother of the drowning child when Weaver jumped in the water.’
Several more damning allegations were laid against the Texas mom with one witness claiming that they saw two three-year-old’s swimming ‘unattended and without a life vest,’ before noting that the life vests were free for anyone to use.
Weaver’s apathetic parenting style was also brought into question by one witness who claimed that the her son had been ‘spitting chips’ into the pool but was too busy on her phone to care or realize.
Weaver’s apathetic parenting style was also brought into question by one witness who claimed that the her son had been ‘spitting chips’ into the pool but was too busy on her phone to care or realize
Despite the damning description of Weaver’s lack luster parenting – images of Anthony reveal the toddler beaming in photos that have emerged in the wake of the tragedy
Weaver’s legal counsel Ryan MacLeod claims that this is merely a witch hunt after the Texas mom pursued her own legal action against the city
According to the arrest report, this last witness called the police and filed a report regarding Weaver’s apparent lack of concern for her child while at the water park that day.
The police document also states that the capacity at the water park is 1,460 and that there were approximately only 466 people that day and life vests were available.
Weaver’s legal counsel Ryan MacLeod earlier shirked blame saying that the city was ‘more concerned with filling the park for a soft opening than safety,’ Fox News reported.
A press conference with El Paso District Attorney Bill Hick’s was called a ‘political stunt’ by MacLeod when he said ‘a lifeguard is not a babysitter.’
‘They’re a last resort in hopefully saving a life,’ Hick’s said in a press conference at the time of the arrest.
MacLeod believes that the city is pursuing legal action against Weaver because she filed a lawsuit against the city and said the DA should be pursuing charges against the 17 lifeguards on duty that day.
DailyMail.com has contacted MacLeod and the DA’s office for comment but did not immediately here back.
