PARADISE, Pa. — A man and woman from Lancaster County have been arrested and charged with homicide in connection to the drowning death of a four-month-old baby at a hotel on Lincoln Highway East earlier this year.
David Meadows and Amy Manning, both of Ronks, were arrested last week, according to Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams. Meadows was taken into custody last Friday in West Earl Township, while Manning was arrested Saturday morning in Nashville, Tennessee.
Both are charged with criminal homicide.
Police say the baby drowned in a bathtub at the Roadway Inn on the morning of May 20.
State Police who responded to the motel, located on the 3100 block of Lincoln Highway East in Paradise, met Manning and Meadows in the parking lot. The couple identified themselves as the parents of the victim and said they were living at the hotel with Manning's two other children from a previous relationship, according to police.
The couple allegedly told police the victim was left unattended in the bathtub with the water running while Manning got the other children ready for school.
Investigators collected and analyzed video surveillance from the hotel, which they say produced a timeline that implicated Manning and Meadows in the homicide.
According to investigators, review of video surveillance determined the baby was left unattended in the tub for at least 20 minutes.
Manning and Meadows allegedly told investigators this was something they did daily, despite being told previously that such conduct was inherently dangerous, police say.
The baby was transported to Lancaster General Hospital and then Hershey Medical Center via helicopter for attempted lifesaving measures before being pronounced deceased, according to police.
An autopsy performed by the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death to be freshwater drowning.
In addition to homicide charges, Manning and Meadows are also charged with endangering the welfare of children, according to Adams' office.
Meadows is being held at Lancaster County Prison without bail. Manning is being held at Davidson County Correctional Development Center and will be extradited to Pennsylvania in the upcoming weeks, Adams said.
