Mom arrested after 2 of her 3 children drown in locked SUV
Police say a 25-year-old Mississippi woman has been arrested after two of her three children drowned when she left them in a locked car and it rolled into a creek.
The Clarion-Ledger reports Leland police charged Jenea Monique Payne on Monday with two counts of negligent homicide and one of child neglect.
Payne’s third child, 2-year-old Raelynn Johnson, was rescued Saturday as Payne’s SUV floated downstream. When divers found the vehicle about two hours later, the bodies of 4-year-old Steve Smith and 1-year-old Rasheed Johnson Jr. were inside.
WLBT reports that Leland’s fire chief was among the rescuers.
Police say Payne told investigators she left the children for five or 10 minutes while she went into a convenience store.
The Clarion-Ledger reports Payne left the keys in the ignition while she went inside a store. Investigators believe the 4-year-old put the keys in the ignition, turned the car on and put it in neutral, causing it to roll into the creek, the Clarion-Ledger reports.
Leland is about 85 miles (135 kilometers) northwest of Jackson.
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