Mom falls asleep while toddler is in bath, Iowa cops say. Now she’s charged in his death
An Iowa mother has been charged in the death of her toddler who drowned in the bathtub, records show.
Kayla Bevar, 21, of Churdan was arrested Dec. 4 on charges of neglect and child endangerment resulting in death, Polk County jail records show.
McClatchy News was unable to locate attorney information for Bevar.
Officers responded Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. to a report of a bathtub drowning, according to a news release from the West Des Moines Police Department.
Authorities said the 20-month-old boy was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. According to the child’s obituary, Waylon Jeffrey Bevar is Kayla Bevar’s son.
An investigation into his death was opened the same day, police said.
Bevar told investigators she fell asleep while her son was in the bathtub and woke up to find him unresponsive, KCCI reported, citing a search warrant.
Records show the mother told police she fell asleep because she hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before, WHO13 reported.
Waylon’s “amazing capability to share love with everyone continued with his organ donation,” his obituary read.
Churdan is about an 80-mile drive northwest from Des Moines.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 8:53 AM with the headline "Mom falls asleep while toddler is in bath, Iowa cops say. Now she’s charged in his death."
