Father charged after 3-year-old daughter drowns in pool at Plum home

The father of a 3-year-old girl who drowned in a pool at a Plum home has been charged. Police were called to the home in Ridgewood Court for a child who was drowning in a residential swimming pool.Tap the video player above to watch the original report.When police arrived, the 3-year-old girl was found unresponsive.The girl, who has been identified as Ca-Nayah Mitchell, was taken to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.Police have charged her father, Charles Mitchell, with two counts of endangering the welfare of children and one count of involuntary manslaughter. According to the criminal complaint, Charles Mitchell told police he went inside and left Ca-Nayah Mitchell and her 4-year-old brother outside by the pool for approximately five minutes. When he came back outside, he found Ca-Nayah Mitchell in the pool.Charles Mitchell told police that before he went inside, Ca-Nayah Mitchell refused to put on a life vest and said she was not going to go swimming."This could happen to anybody any day and not every accident is a crime," said Mitchell's defense attorney Casey White. "This was certainly an accident given the fact that where he was inside the home to where the accident occurred its within eyesight all on the same level, and he was right there," said White.A GoFundMe has been created for Ca-Nayah's funeral expenses. Click here to donate.

The father of a 3-year-old girl who drowned in a pool at a Plum home has been charged.

Police were called to the home in Ridgewood Court for a child who was drowning in a residential swimming pool.


Tap the video player above to watch the original report.

When police arrived, the 3-year-old girl was found unresponsive.

The girl, who has been identified as Ca-Nayah Mitchell, was taken to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Police have charged her father, Charles Mitchell, with two counts of endangering the welfare of children and one count of involuntary manslaughter.

According to the criminal complaint, Charles Mitchell told police he went inside and left Ca-Nayah Mitchell and her 4-year-old brother outside by the pool for approximately five minutes.

When he came back outside, he found Ca-Nayah Mitchell in the pool.

Charles Mitchell told police that before he went inside, Ca-Nayah Mitchell refused to put on a life vest and said she was not going to go swimming.

"This could happen to anybody any day and not every accident is a crime," said Mitchell's defense attorney Casey White.

"This was certainly an accident given the fact that where he was inside the home to where the accident occurred its within eyesight all on the same level, and he was right there," said White.

A GoFundMe has been created for Ca-Nayah's funeral expenses. Click here to donate.