By Kaitlin Easton
A four-year-old girl lost her life after her mother crashed while driving under the influence and left her trapped in her car seat—to take a bath, prosecutors said.
Juliette Marie Acosta, 26, has now been charged with homicide after she was initially arrested on a DUI charge.
A 26YO mother has been charged with homicide after leaving her 4YO daughter trapped in her car
Image credits: Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office
Her four-year-old daughter, Reagan Herrin, was rescued by her uncle but passed away a day after the incident on March 8, near Hickman, California.
The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office alleges that Acosta was three times the legal drunk driving limit when she crashed her car into an irrigation canal on Canal Bank Road.
Image credits: Trace Thomas / gofundme
Her daughter was trapped inside the vehicle, which was partially submerged in water, but instead of helping her, Acosta left the scene to go and take a bath, the DA’s Office said.
Image credits: CBS News Sacramento
Acosta was initially arrested on a DUI charge but was later traced to San Francisco and arrested on felony charges, including homicide, vehicular manslaughter, and driving under the influence.
Police allege she was trying to flee
Image credits: CBS News Sacramento
Chief Deputy District Attorney Wendell Emerson told the Sacramento Bee that Acosta’s father, Clifford Acosta Jr, was also detained in San Francisco on suspicion of aiding his daughter’s flight.
Image credits: CBS News Sacramento
Acosta’s attorney, Gil Somera, told The Independent that the claims that she had taken a bath after the incident were false.
“Timeline-wise, it’s almost impossible to have done both of those,” he said. “Time-wise, you can’t go take a bath while your daughter’s drowning if it’s in her canal, not next to a home…logically, it just doesn’t make sense.”
He also denied that Acosta’s father was helping her flee and said he was instead supporting her as she was “emotionally and psychologically devastated.”
Netizens took to social media to express their outrage over the tragic incident
Image credits: Getty Images/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
Social media users were quick to comment on the tragedy after the DA announced the charges.
One wrote: “How on earth do you, as a mother, leave the scene of the crash and go take a bath?! Some people really just don’t deserve children.”
“It’s disrespectful to mothers all around the world to call Juliette Acosta a mother,” another said, while another added, “My god! I have never been that drunk where I would hurt and leave my child! She deserves the highest level of sentencing! This is pure evil.”
Image credits: INKL
“May this sweet baby rest in peace, and her mother be haunted by her daughter’s face for the rest of her life until she rots in the ground,” a netizen said.
A fundraiser page was set up to help the father’s side of the family, and far exceeded its goal
Image credits: Turlock Funeral Home
A fundraising page has since been set up for Reagan’s father, Gage Herrin, to help with unexpected expenses, and so far, more than $22,000 has been raised.
“The Herrin Family is overwhelmed with the support from the community and can’t begin to express their gratitude,” a statement on the page said.
“Any remaining money that has been donated after expenses will be donated back to the community on Reagan’s behalf in hopes to prevent incidents like this from happening in the future. Thank you again for all your continued support, and we pray that justice is served for Reagan.”
“Heartbreaking.” Netizens called for the maximum possible punishment for Raegan’s mother
