Foster mother indicted in 8-month-old boy’s drowning

A northwest Arizona foster parent has been charged in the drowning death of an infant she was caring for last year.

Elizabeth Dawn Stone, 30, was indicted on a manslaughter charge in the Sept. 25 death of 8-month-old David Whatahomigie.

The boy had been under the foster care of Stone and her fiance for about three months before he accidentally drowned. Whatahomigie was taking a bath with a 3-year-old child when Stone left them unattended for three to five minutes, according to reports.

The baby was pulled from the water and rushed to Kingman Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The reports indicated that Stone had cared for some 50 foster kids without incident over a six-year period.

The Mohave County Sheriff's Office investigated the accidental drowning in the community of Valle Vista, about 15 miles north of Kingman. Reports indicate the infant, who suffered symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome, had been placed in foster care by Hualapai Tribal social service workers.