A 3-year-old boy drowned in a backyard pool in Evansville, Indiana on Saturday, and his mother now faces a charge of neglect resulting in death. According to police, 41-year-old Amie Jo Farber was passed out drunk in a patio chair while the child floated face down in the water. Witnesses performed CPR and called 911, but the boy could not be saved. The homeowner told investigators Farber had been warned to watch her son and had consumed roughly five 25-ounce beers in about two hours.
Farber told officers at the hospital that she “must have fallen asleep” and said, “This is all my fault.” She is being held in the Vanderburgh County Jail on $25,000 cash bond, with an initial hearing set for Wednesday. Police also obtained a warrant to test her blood for drugs and alcohol. Court records show this is not her first neglect case: she was arrested in 2023 after a family member found her intoxicated while caring for her baby.
For those of us here on the Suncoast, where backyard pools, canals, and the Gulf of Mexico are part of everyday life, this story lands close to home. Water safety experts repeat the same guidance every year: designate an adult water watcher, keep phones down, and never assume someone else is watching. If you see a child unsupervised near water anywhere, speak up.
What do you think should happen when a parent with a prior neglect case is charged again? We want to hear from you.
