Mom charged in alleged drowning attempt
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
A 45-year-old Palolo Valley woman was expected to appear in court this morning to face charges of second-degree attempted murder for allegedly trying to drown her 9-year-old son in a bathtub Tuesday morning, police said.
Police charged Marlene Mexia yesterday afternoon and she remained in the police cellblock last night. Her son Michael's condition continued to improve at Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children, and a hospital spokeswoman confirmed that the boy had been moved out of intensive care. He was in stable condition yesterday.
MEXIA
Mexia's bail was set at $50,000, which she had not posted last night.
The family released a statement through the hospital saying: "We are happy to share that our son is doing well and is on his way to a full recovery."
Investigators said a woman called 911 Tuesday morning, saying she had just drowned her son in a bathtub. Paramedics who responded to the call treated the boy and transported him to Kap'iolani.
A Honolulu police officer sent to investigate said in an affidavit filed in court that he found Mexia sitting at the backdoor of her Palolo apartment. Officer Michael Thomas said she sounded calm when she told him: "I just killed my son."
Thomas said he found the boy floating on his back in the bathtub. "The child was breathing but it was strained and in short, raspy gulps," he said. Thomas said the boy's eyes were closed and he had red marks on his neck.
Thomas said he pulled the boy from the water and placed him on his side, then the paramedics took over. Thomas said the paramedics told him the boy's blood pressure was very low and that he must have been close to death when he was found.
The Mexia family declined interviews yesterday but thanked the public for its good wishes and concern.
"We are also praying for his mother, who we know is also suffering deeply," the family wrote. "We know how much she loves him and what a wonderful and devoted mother she has been since the day he was born. We believe with all our hearts that she would never intentionally hurt him."
In the statement, the family requested privacy "because this is what we need to be able to cope with this situation."
Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.
