Philadelphia foster mom charged with murder after toddler dies in her care
A Philadelphia foster mom has been charged with murder after a toddler in her care drowned in a bathtub last April.
Nine months went by from the time the child died to when the foster mom was arrested and charged. An attorney for the toddler's biological mom says that's far too long.
Sharee Collins sat down with CBS News Philadelphia in October for an exclusive interview about the death of her 20-month-old son, Sy'vir Hill.
"He didn't deserve that, he didn't. I wouldn't wish it on nobody else," Collins said.
Hill was in a foster home in Harrowgate last April when he drowned after being left unsupervised in a bathtub, according to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Collins against two child welfare agencies.
Now, the Philadelphia district attorney has charged the foster mom, Apalosnia Watson, with third-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a child. In December, eight months after Hill's death, the medical examiner ruled the cause of death as drowning and the manner of death as homicide.
A.J. Thomson is representing Collins in the wrongful-death case.
"If there's a case that we should prioritize in our society, it's the death of a 1-year-old child. I felt that it was not being prioritized," Thomson said.
A spokesperson with the medical examiner's office said investigations vary in length of time due to numerous factors and, "Above all, our priority is to conduct thorough and accurate investigations."
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Watson said she left three young children — a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old and 20-month-old Hill — unattended in the bathtub and went downstairs to retrieve food after hearing the microwave."
"What food was that important that you would leave three kids that age in the tub by themselves?" Thomson said.
The affidavit says Watson found Hill motionless in the tub, attempted CPR and called 911. A responding police officer described Watson as visibly upset, screaming and crying, and repeatedly stating, "I don't want to go to jail."
An attorney for Watson told CBS News Philadelphia, in part, she "is devastated by the tragic, accidental death of Sy'vir Hill. Nonetheless, she has not committed a crime."
The Philadelphia Department of Human Services called Sy'vir Hill's death a tragic loss and said he was receiving foster care services through Tabor and case management services through Northeast Treatment Community Care. Neither agency returned our requests for comment.
According to a public report on the death of Sy'vir Hill, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services found no deficiencies and no recommendations for change.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.