Authorities said that a California mother accused of drowning her 2-year-old and 5-month-old sons in the bathtub had been arrested. According to records, 26-year-old Courtney Williams was booked into Yuba County Jail on a murder charge on Thursday, April 7.
The Yuba County Sheriff's Office issued a press release regarding Williams' arrest. In the statement, the agency said that Yuba County Sheriff Detectives arrested Williams at their Linda home before noon on Thursday.
According to the press release, the Yuba County Sheriff dispatch center received a 911 call at approximately 11:45 a.m. from the father of the two children. He reported that there were possible drownings at their home, located in the 6100 block of Sunshine Avenue in Linda. Linda is a small unincorporated community located about 40 miles north of Sacramento.
Courtney Williams told her husband she hurt their two children
The call was transferred from Beale Air Force Base due to cell tower routing but did not involve USAF personnel or the base. Deputies rushed to the scene and found the unresponsive toddler and infant in the bathroom of Williams' home. Deputies immediately started doing CPR on the two young kids. However, those life-saving measures failed to save the two young boys, with both of the kids declared dead at the scene.
According to investigators, the children's father returned home from work just before noon to have lunch when his wife allegedly told him that she had hurt their two children. NBC News reported that when the father of the two young boys searched the home, he found his children unresponsive in the bathtub full of water.
Based on their preliminary investigation, detectives believe the apparent drowning of the two children was intentional. They said that the investigation is still in the very early stages and continues to be ongoing and active at this time.
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Yuba County Sheriff mourns the tragic death of young kids Ronin and Holden
Yuba County Sheriff Wendell Anderson issued a statement regarding the deaths of the young boys, saying, "The tragic loss of five-month-old Holden and his two-and-a-half-year old brother Ronin reverberates throughout our department and into the community. There are no words to adequately describe the sadness we feel for the family at this time."
A video that KXTV in Sacramento obtained shows a barefoot Williams in pink sweatpants being arrested and handcuffed. Neighbor Charlene Smith told the station that Williams had no expression whatsoever, with the suspect showing no tears.
Neighbor Krista Taraha was shocked by the boys' deaths as her son is only a day younger than Ronin, and the children used to play together. Taraha said that her son will probably ride his bike over there and sit by his yard every morning, yelling for Ronin like he does every day.
