Oregon Mom Arrested In Son's Drowning

(AP)  An Oregon mother was arrested Saturday in the drowning of her 4-year-old son after the boy and his 7-year-old sister ended up in the chilly Williamette River.

Residents heard screams on the Sellwood Bridge near Portland and called authorities. Some jumped into boats to help search in the early morning darkness. After about an hour, a couple found the children downstream.

The boy, Eldon Jay Rebhan Smith, could not be revived; the girl was in a hospital and expected to survive.

"She's doing well," said Detective Sgt. Rich Austria of the Portland Police Bureau. "She has the will to live."

Austria said it was not immediately clear whether the children were pushed or fell into the river. They have not yet questioned the girl.

Police said the mother, Amanda Jo Stott-Smith, was taken into the custody at a downtown parking garage several hours after her children were found. Stott-Smith, 31, threatened to jump off the garage's ninth floor in before she was arrested, Austria said.

Stott-Smith faces aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder charges, Austria said.

A police spokesman said he did not know if Stott-Smith had an attorney.

Police were asking the public to call investigators if they saw Stott-Smith's car, a blue Audi sedan, on the bridge when residents of the area heard the children's screams.

"Had they not been awake at one in the morning," Austria said, "we would investigating a case here with no children."

When police arrived, officers also heard screams on the river but couldn't find the children because it was dark, said Officer Greg Pashley, a Portland Police Bureau spokesman.

"As you look down into the darkness it's hard to see anything," Pashley said. "I can't imagine what it must be like to be a child in this cold river."

[stupidrules3]

What' s the matter hamiltongrad, you couldn't find a man to blame? I think the cops should have let her jump off the ninth floor.

[hamiltongrad]

joeydog: If we follow you advice, then more moms will likely snap. You can't stop violence by more violence.

[joeydog999]

I have an idea? If that mother DID push her children in the river,, i think someone should push her in the river, or just give her the gas chamber with NO court hearings. Wonder why the U.S has the highest crime rate?One reason is because our stinken, lazy judges wont lower the boom on things like this, You wouldnt get away with this in another country, they would publically hang you,, if we started being more strict when parents want to kill their kids, that might slow this sickness down, I think if a woman puts her baby in a m/ wave oven or just kills them , they AUTOMATICALLY go to the gas chamber, no trial, no jury.. Our judicial system is too laxed on idiots like these people...

[hamiltongrad]

These events seem to happen, or at least reported on national news, way too frequently.

What makes these moms snap ?

[KevinMBdeOwosso]

I am a 60 year old gay man who did not have the option to adopt kids when I was young enough to do it and there are "parents" who literally throw their kids away..... Pat Robertson & Co. - are you PROUD of your stupidity now?

[erb0087]

CBS you need to do a better job on your writing. This is the worst article I have ever seen. A fourth grader could have done it better.
Posted by vielmann at 4:19 PM : May 24, 2009
===========================

CBS was just reproducing an AP report.

[searingtruth]

Perhaps waterboarding, or drowning as it is more commonly known, is not as desirable of the designation "justice" as we thought.
ST


"We cannot fight an injustice that we find within ourselves, and that is why we so often find ourselves at the mercy of it."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[erasmus111]

People cry for help, until some one listens. Society needs to turn up our collective hearing aids.

What this person did was wrong. Punishing her because of this, sadly will not aid our understanding of what made her snap. We need to learn more. Sadly these stories seem to be every week. Women snap much more frequently than men.
Posted by hamiltongrad at 9:01 PM : May 24, 2009

I agree that these kinds of things are happening way too frequently, but it isn't just happening with women. And yes, we do need to find out why. But you need to stop automatically assuming that it's the man's fault. Maybe is some cases it is, but each case has to be examined individually. You can't just assume that every case is because of a man. You are obviously a man hater.

[hamiltongrad]

http://www.slate.com/id/2063086/

get the low down on mothers killing their children and the large % going to hospitals, vs. fathers.

What does this mean ???

[hamiltongrad]

People cry for help, until some one listens. Society needs to turn up our collective hearing aids.

What this person did was wrong. Punishing her because of this, sadly will not aid our understanding of what made her snap. We need to learn more. Sadly these stories seem to be every week. Women snap much more frequently than men.