DC dad charged in death of daughter in Florida

A D.C. father is facing charges after his 20-month-old daughter drowned in a hot tub at a Florida vacation rental, according to investigators.

Deputies with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and Osceola County Fire Rescue were called just after 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 13 to a home on Nice Court in Kissimmee for a report of an unresponsive child.

Authorities said the family was staying at an Airbnb.

The toddler was taken to AdventHealth Celebration, where she was pronounced dead shortly after 4:30 a.m., according to investigators.

Detectives said the child’s father, Reynard Tyrone Hough, 33, of D.C., told deputies he brought his daughter into the hot tub and fell asleep while holding her.

He reported waking up to find the child unresponsive in his arms while still in the water.

Following an investigation, detectives said Hough was negligent in the child’s death. He was initially arrested on a charge of child neglect causing great bodily harm.

On Sunday, Dec. 14, detectives added an additional charge of aggravated manslaughter.

Hough remains in custody at the Osceola County Jail.

The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said the death investigation is ongoing. No additional details have been released about how long the child was in the hot tub or whether other adults were present at the time of the incident.

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Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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