An Ohio mother has been indicted after a heartbreaking incident where her 3-year-old son, Emmanuel, died from severe burns caused by hot water in their Columbus apartment.
On the morning of January 6, at around 7:45 a.m., 45-year-old Laronda Mims dialed 911 in distress, saying that her toddler had accidentally pulled a pot of boiling water off the stove. The scalding water spilled onto Emmanuel, leaving him unresponsive. Paramedics rushed him to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where doctors did everything they could to save him. Unfortunately, their efforts were unsuccessful, and Emmanuel was pronounced dead at 8:18 a.m.
The Columbus Division of Police launched an investigation into the boy’s death, noting that the circumstances surrounding the incident required further scrutiny. Initially, Mims was taken into custody but was later released without any charges. However, after further review, a grand jury indicted her on January 28 on two counts of child endangerment—one being a felony and the other a misdemeanor—along with one count of involuntary manslaughter. A warrant for her arrest was issued the same day.
Authorities revealed that Franklin County Children’s Services had been involved with the family. A neighbor, Latrice Edgington, shared that she had seen police officers at the apartment multiple times before the tragic event. She mentioned that Mims and her family had only moved into the apartment the previous summer.
Edgington recalled the heartbreaking scene on the morning of January 6 when emergency responders carried Emmanuel out of the apartment. “The baby had a little mask on his face … Just seeing him, I was just crying, seeing him wrapped up in that blanket like that,” she said.
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office is currently performing an autopsy to determine the exact cause and manner of Emmanuel’s death. The investigation is still ongoing.
