Texas Caregiver Faces Potential Charges In Boy’s Drowning Death Mother Calls An Accident

A Texas caregiver could face criminal charges after a 2-year-old boy drowned during a community pool playdate, according to reports.

The adult, whose identity has not yet been released by authorities, was supervising multiple children at a San Antonio pool, officials said.

Two-year-old Malachi LeBlanc nearly drowned earlier in August while attending the gathering in San Antonio’s Indian Springs subdivision, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

The boy was under the watch of a trusted adult at the time, according to the newspaper. Several other children were also under the adult’s supervision, the outlet reported.

Malachi’s parents, Grace and Myron LeBlanc, were not present at the pool when the toddler was discovered unresponsive, reports said.

First responders administered CPR on the child at the scene, according to the outlet.

He was taken to North Central Baptist Hospital for treatment, the newspaper reported. Doctors determined that Malachi was brain dead and could not breathe independently, according to reports.

The toddler died on August 9, four days after the poolside incident, the newspaper reported.

Malachi’s death was officially ruled an accident caused by complications of near-drowning, according to the outlet.

Grace LeBlanc shared that her family regularly went swimming together, reports said. She explained that her young son loved the water, according to the newspaper.

“I’m convinced that he thought he could swim because he would try to get in the water all the time without his floaties,” she told the outlet.

After physicians declared the child brain dead, representatives from the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance approached his parents, according to reports.

The toddler’s parents agreed to donate his organs to help other sick children, reports said.

“If God wasn’t going to give us the miracle that we’re praying for, then this can be a miracle for other children,” Grace recalled Myron telling her while they were discussing the decision.

Doctors retrieved Malachi’s heart, kidneys and liver for transplant procedures, the mother said.

Those donated organs went to three children in Texas who were awaiting transplants, according to the newspaper.

Grace LeBlanc said she wants her son to be remembered for his joyful personality, according to the outlet. She also wants people to know that he saved lives, the newspaper reported.

“He always knew how to make you feel beautiful,” she said. “He loved to say, ‘I love you,’ and he meant it when he said it.”

“Knowing that I will see my son again has really carried me through this,” Grace continued. “I know that right now, where he’s at, he’s being loved on more than we could ever love on him.”

The grieving mother told reporters she had “complete faith in” the adult who supervised the playdate, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

She added that she “wholeheartedly believes” her toddler’s death was an accident, according to the newspaper.

Grace LeBlanc stated that she strongly opposed criminal charges against the caregiver, the outlet reported.

The mother did not know authorities intended to pursue charges until the newspaper contacted her to discuss the situation, according to the report.

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office has now completed its investigation into the boy’s death, News 4 San Antonio reported.

Deputies forwarded the completed investigative file to the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, according to the station.

Sheriff’s officials confirmed the case is under evaluation, the outlet reported. But investigators have not disclosed who they believe should face charges, according to the television station.

Authorities have also declined to state what potential offense the adult may have committed, according to the station.

The district attorney’s office is tasked with reviewing the case to determine what charges are appropriate, or if the adult will be charged, reports said.

No charges had been filed as of Friday, August 28, according to the outlet.