A father has been arrested after his toddler allegedly drowned when he fell asleep in a hot tub while holding the child.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) in Florida said in a news release that Reynard Tyrone Hough, 33, a Washington, D.C., native, was arrested and is facing charges related to child neglect and manslaughter.
Deputies responded to a home on Nice Court in Kissimmee on Dec. 13 shortly after 3:30 a.m. following a report of an unresponsive child who appeared to have drowned in a hot tub. When deputies arrived, they found a 20-month-old girl unresponsive. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after 4:30 a.m.
During the investigation, detectives learned that a family from Washington, D.C., had been staying at the home, which was listed as an Airbnb rental at the time. Authorities said Hough told investigators he brought his daughter into the hot tub and fell asleep while holding her. He reported waking to find her unresponsive in his arms while they were still in the hot tub, according to OCSO.
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Hough was charged with child neglect causing great bodily harm and aggravated manslaughter of a child. He was arrested and booked into the Osceola County Jail. OCSO said the case remains under investigation.
According to WESH-TV, OCSO also said Hough told investigators he had been drinking and had ingested two different narcotics before entering the hot tub with his daughter.
“I feel bad for this mom and dad; they were devastated and they had another 6-month-old child at the home. We do know that watching two small kids can be challenging,” OCSO Capt. Kim Montes said, according to the outlet.
Hough’s sister, Angel Hough, identified the toddler to WESH-TV as Azariah Hough. “It’s very hard losing a niece this way and then we have so much hurt for my brother because he’s just so distraught and tore up,” she told the outlet.
She added that their family is grieving the loss of the child, who was born April 11, 2024. “She will be missed, and especially just seeing her little butt running around. I just can’t believe it’s almost Christmas and this happened,” she said.
