An Alabama mother is facing manslaughter charges following the tragic shooting death of her young son, who was left unattended with unsecured firearms.
Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey announced that Evelyn Leyva Etress is also facing charges of aggravated child abuse and drug-related offenses, as reported by WVTM.
Etress was taken into custody on Wednesday and subsequently released on a $90,000 bond by Saturday.
According to records, Noah, the 2-year-old victim, had been at home with his four siblings, including two 4-year-old girls, a 9-year-old, and a 13-year-old, on Wednesday morning. Authorities responded to the residence around 10 a.m.
Etress explained she had left the young children, including Noah, unsupervised in the master bedroom while she prepared tea. She was alerted by a gunshot, which she described as a “loud noise,” and discovered the older children fleeing from a bedroom closet, with Noah lying on the floor, bleeding. A handgun was found nearby.
WBMA reported that Etress admitted the gun had been left out on a dresser.
Blount County Sheriff Mark Moon said three unsecured long guns were also found in the home. One weapon was seized.
“The public record that we saw filed in this with the sheriff’s office, there were at least four, if not five firearms that were loaded in that home where the children had easy access to,” said Casey.
Five children were taken from the home and placed in the custody of the Alabama Department of Human Resources, WVTM said.
Casey said the children’s father was a convicted felon who was pardoned last year and got his firearm rights back. He has not been charged.
