A Maryland mother has been charged with first-degree murder after allegedly drowning her 3-month-old daughter in a bathtub at her home, according to court documents.
Mackenzie R. Colgan, 37, called 911 on Sunday from her home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, to report that she had drowned her infant daughter in the bathtub, the Montgomery County Police Department confirmed. First responders quickly arrived at the scene, but despite their efforts to save the girl, she was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
A probable cause affidavit reviewed by Law and crime detailed the chronology of events. Around 11:40 a.m., Colgan allegedly took the baby, whose name has not been released, from other family members, informing them that she planned to bathe him upstairs. About 20 minutes later, Colgan allegedly returned to the first floor and told the girl’s father that the baby had died in the bathtub.
The father immediately instructed Colgan to call 911 and ran upstairs in an attempt to perform CPR. After the 911 call, police brought Colgan in for questioning. During the interview, Colgan, a licensed clinical counselor, allegedly told detectives that she had woken up that morning with a plan to “end it all.”
She confessed that she had decided to kill both her children and her husband. “She then said she turned the baby so he was not facing her and held the victim’s head underwater until she knew she was dead,” police wrote, according to People.
Colgan claimed he intended to jump out the window of his house afterwards, but changed his mind once he reached the ledge. It was then that she told her husband what she had done. Colgan has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held in the Montgomery County Jail.
A mental health evaluation was ordered before his first court appearance. Montgomery County District Attorney Lauren DeMarco described the situation as “extremely sad” in a statement to NBC 4. Colgan’s lawyer confirmed that the therapist had no prior criminal convictions.