DAISETTA, Texas – Liberty County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a case after a 1-year-old girl was found dead in a neighbor’s pool.
Deputies said the family had reported that the child was missing, but was later found dead by a family member before investigators arrived. The family reported the baby girl missing on Monday afternoon from the parent’s home on West Pine Street in Daisetta, Texas.
”As you would imagine, the investigators were asking the logical questions,” said Liberty County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Captain Ken DeFoor. “The parents said that they put the child down to sleep, took a nap and when they checked on the child about two hours later, she wasn’t there.”
On Tuesday morning, the parents, 41-year-old Bonnie Tarrant and 28-year-old Londell Laviene, were visited by deputies, who eventually arrested the two on misdemeanor charges.
Laviene and Tarrant have been charged with interfering with public duties, a Class B misdemeanor, and resisting arrest, a Class A misdemeanor. Both have posted bonds.
“One of the [charges] was interfering with public duties, basically not being cooperative, and the other was actually resisting arrest,” DeFoor said.
Investigators said this was not the first time investigators were notified of a child’s death in this family. Liberty County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the Nine Mile Ranch, a waterpark that was located in Dayton, Texas.
“This couple had a drowning of one of their other children back in 2015,” DeFoor said.
In July 2015, Laviene and Tarrant had reported that their 4-year-old son was missing at the water park, according to Liberty County Sheriff’s Office. After a search, the child was found lifeless in a three-foot deep pool at the park, which guests described as “muddy.”
Officials then seemed to believe the death was accidental. No autopsy was requested and no charges were filed.
Deputies said they are now investigating the death of the parents of the 1-year-old daughter.
“Child protective services were at the scene. Their fatality investigators were also there,” DeFoor said.
Child Protective Services took the parents’ four other children, whose ages range from one month and 14 years old, into custody, according to deputies.
Officials said they have requested an autopsy report.
“Even before the deputy arrived, a family member found the child in the swimming pool next door. So there would be logical questions that people would ask in an investigation, but I can’t go into the specifics right now,” DeFoor said.
Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Rangers and Daisetta Police are all working on the case.
“Will there be additional charges? We don’t know. That’s what the investigation will reveal,” DeFoor said.