Florida Mom Was 'Drunk & High' While 3-Year-Old Son Almost Drowned In Hotel Hot Tub

According to an affidavit from the Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety, Apryl Connolly admitted to consuming marijuana, alcohol, oxycodone, and Suboxone.

March 28, 2019
Mug shot of Apryl Connolly [Volusia County Jail]

Photo by: Mug shot of Apryl Connolly [Volusia County Jail]

Mug shot of Apryl Connolly [Volusia County Jail]

By: Catherine Townsend

DAYTONA, FL — A Florida woman is reportedly facing several charges, including felony child neglect after cops say her 3-year-old son nearly drowned while she was allegedly drunk and high.

According to ABC News, Apryl Connolly, 36, of Deltona, was with the boy, his twin brother, and the children's father, at Perry's Ocean Edge Resort in Daytona Beach around 10 P.M. Sunday.

The toddler, who was reportedly in a hot tub with his twin brother, was allegedly seen on a security camera video going underwater for more than two minutes. Even though a group of people was in the hot tub, no one realized that the boy was drowning, police said.

Investigators said the boy's mother was nearby and meant to be watching him, but admitted she was intoxicated.

The toddler, who was in the hot tub with his twin brother, was seen on a security camera going under water for more than two minutes. Despite the fact that a group of people were in the hot tub, no one realized that the boy was drowning.

Investigators say that his mother was nearby and meant to be watching him, but she later admitted that she was intoxicated.

The desk clerk, Wanda Van Blarrume, saw the victim on the surveillance video from the lobby and alerted a staff member, according to the incident report.

A second staff member, Michael Johnson, reportedly turned the hot tub jets off before leaping into the tub and pulling the boy out.

According to the police, the child did not have a pulse and was not breathing. Johnson and another woman at the resort reportedly performed CPR on the boy until he was able to breathe.

The father allegedly told police he was with the boys in the hot tub but left them in Connolly's care when resort staff informed him the pool was closing, and he went to gather the family's belongings.

"I was definitely watching my son," Connolly allegedly said. "I turned around for two seconds."

According to an affidavit from the Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety, Connolly admitted to consuming marijuana, alcohol, oxycodone, and Suboxone.

She was charged with child neglect as well as destroying/tampering of evidence after officers reviewing the surveillance footage saw her throw something - later described as a blue pill - into the trash. Authorities reportedly arrested her, and she is held without bond.

According to police, the boy was taken to a nearby hospital and is in serious but stable condition.

Read more: ABC News, WTHR

Next Up

In February 2001, Steven Kraft, Jr. Took His Dogs Outside And Disappeared

Over two decades ago, a 12-year-old boy went missing from outside his home in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The two dogs he was playing with have since been found but he remains missing.

Diamond And Tionda Bradley Vanished In 2001

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said thousands of leads have come in over the years on this case, but the girls (now women) have never been located.

Death, Drugs & Deceit: A Timeline of the Murdaugh Family Mystery

On March 3, 2023, Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of the June 2021 murders of his wife and son.

The Mysterious Murder Of Syracuse Teen Remains Unsolved

While the nation was focused on The New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens playing in Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa, Florida, a young woman in Syracuse, New York, met a violent end.

Kidnapping Victim Helps Orchestrate Her Own Rescue By Holding Up Sign Saying 'Help Me'

A 13-year-old girl was rescued after holding up a sign from the window of Steven Robert Sablan’s car in a Long Beach, California parking lot.

Man Convicted Of Killing Couple, Their 2 Sons, 10 Years After Family’s Skeletal Remains Found In Desert

ID’s 'Two Shallow Graves' explores the controversial murder trial of Charles “Chase” Merritt.

Florida Mom & Boyfriend Arrested After Her 2 Sons Drowned In Pool, Cops Say

Police allege the boys' mom may have been sleeping when the boys, ages 5 and 6, swam without supervision and died in a pool at an apartment complex.

5 Things to Know About The 1955 Murder Of Emmett Till

The Black teenager was murdered by two white men in Money, Mississippi, in August 1955 after a white woman accused him of making a pass at her in a grocery store.

True Crime News Roundup: Father Accused Of Killing His 3 Children, Leaving Bodies For Wife To Find

Plus: California man uses Bitcoin to pay hitman to murder his ex; police accuse woman of abandoning baby found frozen to death in 1985; woman who may be victim of alleged D.C. serial killer identified; and Ghislaine Maxwell makes bid for lighter sentence.