Mother charged with 4th of July drowning death

MISSION, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Florida woman is now facing charges for the drowning death of her toddler, according to Mission police.

On July 4, Mission police received a 911 call regarding the drowning of a 3-year-old boy who allegedly drowned in a swimming pool at a home on the 3200 block of Joycee Drive.

When police and fire arrived CPR was performed on the child. He was transported to an area hospital, where minutes after arrival he was pronounced dead.

Arlette Montanez Del Villar was charged with abandoning and endangering a child, Hidalgo County Jail Records show.

Police say the mother left the home early in the morning and did not tell anyone where she was going. She was gone for several hours when the toddler allegedly woke up, went outside and drowned in the swimming pool.

According to Mission police, Del Villar only returned to the residence when her 13-year-old called to say the boy had drowned.

Authorities allowed Del Villar to return to Florida to bury her son.

She later turned herself in on July 29.