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Inset: Angel Marcus Rodriguez (East Haven Police Department). Background: The residence where his son drowned in October 2024 (Google Maps).
A Connecticut man is behind bars following the drowning death of his 7-month-old baby boy last fall, authorities say.
Angel Marcus Rodriguez, aged 29, faces charges of one count of second-degree manslaughter, along with two counts of risking injury to a minor and two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment, as reported by the East Haven Police Department.
Those charges stem from Angel Josiah Rodriguez’s death — and the alleged harm that could have befallen the boy’s 3-year-old brother.
The incident took place late on the night of October 6, 2024, at a residence on Redfield Avenue in East Haven. This town is moderately sized and is situated a few miles east of New Haven, forming a part of the larger metropolitan area.
According to police, the father confessed to leaving his two children unattended in the bathtub to use another bathroom in the house, as the toilet in the children’s bathroom did not flush properly, based on an arrest warrant obtained by the New Haven Register. Initially, Rodriguez could not remember the duration of his absence, police claim. Later, he allegedly stated to investigators that he might have been away for roughly five minutes while the children were in the bath.
The little boy was found by his grandmother, facedown in the tub, while his older brother was playing with toy cars right beside him.
“He just turned over,” the older boy allegedly told his grandmother when she walked in, according to law enforcement.
At such a young age, the baby could not sit up by himself. Family members said he was propped up in an Angelcare brand “Back Support” bathing chair, which the company describes as “ideal for newborn babies up to six months or 9 kg/20 lbs.,” according to the warrant.
The grandmother allegedly told investigators she grabbed both children out of the tub and ran into her son’s bedroom — where she found him talking on his cellphone. Then, the grandmother said she yelled at her son to dial 911 as she performed CPR on the child.
Those lifesaving efforts were passed onto the children’s aunt, investigators wrote in the warrant, who overheard the shouting upstairs and came running — quickly relieving the grandmother and vainly trying to press life into the baby boy’s chest.
Details about the final moments in the children’s bathroom, different but not necessarily contradictory, would find their way to investigators.
The children’s grandmother allegedly said she had never before seen her son fill the bathtub up so high. Normally, she allegedly said, the water would only reach halfway up the baby’s bathing chair.
Investigators also noted other factors that might have contributed to the water levels in the bathtub. Such factors included: whether or not the plug was in the drain — this was unclear; whether or not the water was still running — the grandmother said it was not; or if the 3-year-old had touched the faucet or the plug — Rodriguez said he told his older boy not to touch either but efforts to interview the surviving child were swiftly abandoned because he could neither understand the questions nor remain focused, police said.
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When confronted about allegedly being on the phone while the children bathed, Rodriguez added to his initial recollection, according to the warrant. He said he stopped by his bedroom, after using the second bathroom, to get his phone off the charger. While the defendant told investigators he thought the phone call was brief, the children’s grandmother said she noticed her son on the phone in a hallway for at least 10 minutes, police say.
“The East Haven Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the family of Angel Josiah Rodriguez,” the police department said in a press release. “We hope this arrest brings some measure of accountability and helps Angel’s family in their pursuit of healing. This heartbreaking loss has deeply affected all involved. We are grateful to our first responders and investigative personnel for their dedication to this case, and we continue to stand with Angel’s family as they grieve.”
Rodriguez was arrested on Monday. He is currently being detained in the New Haven Correctional Center on $200,000 bond.
