KEWAUNEE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A mom who left a 7-month-old child alone in a bathtub for several minutes before the baby drowned was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison.
Cheyanne Wierichs, 24, previously was convicted of neglecting a child, consequence is death.
Wierichs was also placed on extended supervision for 10 years by Judge Dennis Mleziva.
Before the sentence was issued, Wierichs apologized.
“I realize that my actions and my addictions have caused a lot of chaos,” she said. “Nothing I can say and nothing I can do will ever bring my little lady back. This tragic accident has not only affected me and my son, but an entire community. I live every day knowing, because of a mistake I made, my daughter lost her life.”
Judge Mleziva said between the underlying addiction issues and the serious nature of the offense, prison time is warranted.
“She has to take this seriously and understand there are serious consequences. Her child has suffered irreversible consequences – as serious as it gets,” the judge said.
According to the complaint, Wierichs said her son found the baby drowning in the tub in February 2021.
“She admitted to watching Youtube while the children bathed for several minutes. Ms. Wierichs also admitted to leaving the bathroom to connect her phone to a Bluetooth speaker, and then listening to a song in its entirety before hearing splashing. It was estimated that several minutes would have passed from the time Ms. Wierichs left the bathroom to when she returned,” the complaint states.
There was not a baby seat or baby tub in the bathtub, according to the complaint.
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