Mother Arrested, Charged With Reckless Homicide & Neglect Of A Dependent

The incident happened January 12.

Christina Watkins. Photo by Dearborn County Jail.

(Aurora, Ind.) - An Aurora woman has been arrested for the death of her son in January. 

Christina Watkins, 38, was arrested and charged with Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury (Level 3 Felony) and Reckless Homicide (Level 5 Felony). 

After leaving prescribed Methadone out in the home, a fatal dose of 380 ml was ingested by Watkin's three-year-old son. 

On January 13, Aurora Police Lieutenant Michael Prudenti called Aurora Police Detective Vernon McBride to inform him that Officers Jason Turner and James Hartman responded to a call involving a child who was down and unresponsive at an apartment on Aspen Ridge Drive in Aurora.

The child was then transported to Highpoint Health, received lifesaving treatments until 3:03 a.m., when he was officially pronounced dead.

During a conversation with Officer Turner, Watkins told him that the night prior to this event that the victim had been wheezing. Throughout the night Watkins claims that she woke the victim up multiple after going to bed to clear the mucus from his throat.

Once Watkins discovered that the victim was limp, unresponsive, and had blue coloring in the face, she immediately called 911. She yelled for her daughter's help, and started CPR as instructed by the operator.  

During a conversation with Detective McBride, the mother provided identifying information including that he was three-years-old, overweight, weighing approximately 80 pounds, and normally has heavy breathing. Watkins explained that the victim's Pediatrician is Doctor James Hahn and was last seen by Dr. Hahn in December 2019 for a flu shot and checkup. The mother stated that the victim has an exam scheduled on January 26 to be seen by a Cardiologist and a Dietitian at Children's Hospital. 

In a statement given by Watkins at the hospital, she said that she had not given the victim any medication prior to the incident. Watkins claimed that earlier in the day, the victim had gotten into a container of "Comet" cleaner, but was certain that the victim did not ingest any. 

In the same statement, Watkins informed officers that she was prescribed Methadone, which she claimed to keep locked in a bag in her vehicle. 

Detective McBride requested a search of the residence to which Watkins read and signed a Waiver of Rights form to give consent to search the home. 

In a search of the home, several area's of the home had a bluish/greenish substance, consistent with "Comet" cleaner, covering tables and the floor. A methadone bag without the lock was also found during the search.

On January 15, an autopsy performed showed that there were no traumas on or in the body and no suspicious observations were made. There was no chemical burns in the mouth, throat, or stomach, indicating it was unlikely the victim had ingested "Comet" cleaner. The Pathologist then advised that the final ruling would be dependent on toxicology results.  

On February 11, toxicology reports showed that the cause of death was Methadone Toxicity (380 ng/ml) and Morbid Obesity. 

A continued investigation showed that Watkins was aware that Methadone was left out and the bottles had been tampered with. 

Watkins was arrested on Tuesday, May 12, and is being held at Dearborn County Jail.