THIBODAUX, La. — A Thibodaux mother is in jail tonight, booked with attempted first degree murder of her son. This is after police say she threw the toddler off of a bridge into the water.
It was just in July when we were at the water's edge reporting on another toddler whose mother was suspected of taking his life. That one ended tragically. This one has a better outcome for the little boy.
“When things like this happen, all I can think of is this is not the Houma I grew up in,” said Anne Parr who lives near the Liberty Bridge.
“Just seems like down here there's a lot more folks that are distressed. A lot more folks living on the street homeless, panhandling, people suffering from mental illness,” said Jason Matherne, who lives near the bridge.
People who live near the Liberty Bridge in Houma can't believe a mother allegedly threw her 18-month-old son in Bayou Terrebonne on Friday. Police say the mother then jumped in the water to get her toddler.
“Twenty-three years on the job, and I've never seen something like this. It always, always, is pretty disheartening whenever you see what a parent will do to their own child,” said Lt. Travis Theriot, Chief of detectives and public information officer for Houma Police.
Houma Police say when they got to the scene, the little boy was not unconscious. He was responsive. He's still under doctor's care, and is expected to make a full recovery.
“But there were obvious signs that he had ingested water into his system,” added Theriot.
Asha Randolph, 30, is in jail in Terrebonne Parish booked with attempted first degree murder, obstruction of justice, and two counts of child desertion. That's because one of her older children was left in the car, and the other was playing dangerously close to the water's edge.
We went to her apartment in Thibodaux, but the family did not want to speak, and asked for privacy. Neighbors near the bridge can't believe this has happened again. Just two months ago, police were searching for toddler Ezekiel Harry in the water one block away. He was later found dead in a garbage bin with his mother charged.
“I think there just is a lack of places for people to go to. There's no outreach programs anymore. Some of the programs that were likely here years ago, have been phased out, and so the burden of the mental health of the community ends up in the hospital system, or the criminal justice system,” said Matherne.
“This community comes together you know, after hurricanes, after tragedies, something like this. We're going to come together, and were going to do better,” said Parr.
Houma Police say it could be weeks before the DA gets the results of their investigation, and that is when it will be determined if mental competency will be part of this case.
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