Editor’s note: This story contains description of an alleged homicide that may disturb some readers.
A Montgomery County, Maryland, mother has been charged with first-degree murder after the Sunday drowning death of her 3-month-old daughter.
According to charging documents, 37-year-old Mackenzie Colgan told police she woke up Sunday morning with a plan to “end everything” and kill herself, her husband and two children. Later that day, she took her baby upstairs and drowned her in the bathtub.
Montgomery County police said officers got a call around 12:12 p.m. Sunday for a reported drowning at a home in 7300 block of Summit Avenue in Chevy Chase. When officers got there, they found an unresponsive baby girl in the upstairs bathroom.
The child was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to the initial police investigation, Colgan went to the family room of the home at around 11:40 a.m. and took the baby from family members, saying she was going to give the child a bath. About 20 minutes later, Colgan returned and told the child’s father their baby was dead, charging documents state.
The father then ran upstairs, according to police, and found the 3-month-old unresponsive in the bathtub, which was still filled with water. He tried to give CPR to his child and told Colgan to call 911.
Once police arrived to the home, they detained Colgan.
While in police custody, Colgan elected to speak with investigators, telling them she woke up Sunday morning with a plan to kill her family and then herself, according to charging documents.
Colgan told police she took her child to the bath, filled it, placed the 3-month-old in a baby bath within the tub and then held the child’s head under the water until she knew her baby was dead, the documents state.
Then, according to charging documents, Colgan left the bathroom and went into a bedroom, where she intended to jump out the second-story window. But, the documents state, once she got out onto the ledge, she decided not to jump, went back downstairs and told the child’s father what she had done.
Colgan is charged with first-degree murder. An autopsy will be performed Monday on the child’s body to officially determine the cause and manner of death.
Colgan made her first court appearance Monday afternoon and her bond hearing was postponed until next Monday to allow time for a mental health evaluation.
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