RYDEN THOMAS - 13 months (2/14) - Charged: Mother and father, Tonya and Wesley Thomas - Pittsburgh, PA

Mother Pleads Guilty In Toddler’s Drowning Death


January 9, 2014 10:52 AM


   


(Photo Credit: KDKA)

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The mother of a toddler who drowned in a bathtub nearly a year ago, pleaded guilty to two charges Thursday.

Tonya Thomas is charged with endangering the welfare of children and involuntary manslaughter for the death of her 13-month-old son Ryden nearly a year ago.

Ryden died last February, when he drowned in the bathtub at the family’s Indiana home.

The boy was in the tub with his 2- and 3-year-old siblings at the time.

Thomas told police she left the children alone for a few minutes when Ryden drowned.

When she returned, the boy was found face down in the water.

The father, Wesley Thomas, pleaded guilty to child endangerment in August and was sentenced to jail.


http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/01/09/mother-pleads-guilty-in-toddlers-drowning-death/

Trial slated for Pa. mother in son's bathtub death

Posted: Jun 23, 2014 8:51 AM EST Updated: Jun 23, 2014 8:51 AM EST


INDIANA, Pa. (AP) - Trial open this week for a western Pennsylvania woman whose 13-month-old son drowned last year while authorities said he was bathing unattended with two toddler siblings.

Jury selection begins Monday in Indiana County in the third-degree homicide trial of 26-year-old Tonya Thomas of White Township.

Authorities allege that she left Ryden and his 2- and 3-year-old siblings unattended in the bathtub and later found him face-down in the water.

Thomas earlier agreed to an involuntary manslaughter plea but later decided to withdraw the plea and go to trial.

Defense attorneys argue that the boy's drowning was a tragic accident and nothing more.

The boy's father, Wesley Thomas, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child endangerment and was sentenced to three months to two years in prison.


http://www.wfmj.com/story/25843908/trial-slated-for-pa-mother-in-sons-bathtub-death