A Michigan woman whose baby drowned in the bathtub while she was on the phone with a friend could be freed in less than a year under a plea deal.
Olivia Miller, 23, pleaded no contest Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of her 8-month-old son, Asher Joseph Johnson, who tragically drowned in the bathtub in November 2023 after she left him unattended. Law and crime reported.
Miller, who was home alone in her Sparta township, told various stories about how her baby may have died during the investigation.
Detectives believe Miller had been on the phone for about 20 minutes, causing her son to choke.
Olivia Miller, 23, pleaded no contest Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the Nov. 22, 2023, death of her 8-month-old son, Asher Johnson.
Miller’s cause of death was drowning, according to the county medical examiner’s office.
The examiner’s office also determined that the child had been lying on his back for 20 minutes before authorities arrived at Miller’s home, located in the 4600 block of 16 Mile Road Northwest, Grand Rapids.
First responders took life-saving measures and transported the baby to the hospital, but sadly the child died.
Baby Asher Joseph Johnson drowned on November 22, 2023 after being left unattended in the bathtub
The Michigan home in Sparta Township where the tragedy occurred.
On November 22, 2023, Miller alleged that she placed her son in a bathtub and that he was sitting up. The tub was filled with a few inches of running water. During that time, he went to another room in an adjacent laundry room.
When she returned about five minutes later, she found her son floating face up in the water, with his nose and mouth under the surface.
The mother alleged that she tried to revive him until first responders arrived.
Once investigators obtained Miller’s cell phone, he told a very different story.
According to investigators, activity on Miller’s Dell phone showed that he had used his phone several times between 3:17 p.m. until he called 911 at 3:38 p.m.
Police said there was only one 18-second break during that period.
Records revealed that Miller contacted the mother of the child’s father twice – to tell her that the child had drowned – in the two minutes before she called 911.
Miller’s attorney, Frank Stanley, told local ABC13 News that his client has “suffered tremendously emotionally from the death of his son.”
Miller, who is being held at Kent Correctional Facility, is scheduled to be sentenced in early November.
His lawyer Frank Stanley said WZZM that his client has “suffered tremendously emotionally from the death of his son.”
He stressed that this was “no indication of intentionality” and described it as “a very tragic situation.”
And he added: “she loves that child.”