Guardians of Beaufort toddler who drowned in hotel pool charged for leaving child unattended
The guardians of a 2-year-old who drowned in a Beaufort hotel pool in November have been charged for leaving their children unattended on the day of the accident.
Mindi Lynn Hampleton, 30, of Beaufort, the toddler’s mother, was arrested Tuesday in Dorchester County, jail records show. Police plan to charge her with two counts of unlawful neglect of a child after extraditing her to Beaufort County next week, according to Lt. Charles Raley, a spokesperson for the Beaufort Police Department.
Chris Jones, 45, of Beaufort, was charged Tuesday with unlawful neglect of a child.
At the time of the drowning, Hampleton was in charge of the adults’ three children, Raley said. Jones was at work. Hampleton is being charged for leaving two children unattended for an extended period of time, during which the toddler drowned.
Although Jones is not considered culpable for the 2-year-old’s death, he was charged for leaving another child, a newborn, unattended earlier that day.
On Nov. 12, deputies responded to the Country Inn & Suites on Boundary Street after staff reported seeing another child, the toddler’s 5-year-old sibling, wandering around alone. While surveying the area, police found the toddler drowned in the hotel’s pool.
Hampleton and Jones were later found by police in their hotel room. The 5-year-old child and newborn were removed from their care by the Department of Social Services.
The two children are now in the custody of their grandparents, Raley said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Hampleton was in custody at the Dorchester County Detention Center.
Jones was released Wednesday morning from the Beaufort County Detention Center on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.
This story was originally published December 21, 2022 at 2:59 PM.
