Inset: Briana Arnold (Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations). Background: The apartment complex where Arnold”s infant daughter drowned to death in Burlington, Vt. (Google Maps).
Authorities in Vermont are actively searching for a mother, accused of being under the influence of drugs, whose infant daughter tragically drowned in a bathtub. Briana Arnold, 34, faces severe charges including involuntary manslaughter, child cruelty resulting in death, and narcotics possession, as outlined in her arrest warrants.
The Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations (CUSI), a specialized task force that addresses crimes against children throughout Vermont, is spearheading this urgent search effort. The incident that triggered these grave charges occurred on the afternoon of October 4, 2024, in a Burlington apartment on Main Street, as reported by the Burlington Police Department.
On that fateful day, a distressing 911 call was made regarding a child drowning. Responding officers arrived to find Arnold attempting CPR on her 3-month-old daughter. Paramedics quickly took over, rushing the infant to a nearby hospital. Despite their efforts, the young girl tragically succumbed to her injuries.
Following the child’s heartbreaking death, CUSI launched an investigation. A search warrant was executed at the residence, which, according to the Vermont Daily Chronicle, led to the discovery of an open container suspected to contain fentanyl, found in the kitchen stove.
On the day in question, a 911 call was made about a drowning child, police said. In the apartment unit, responding officers found Arnold performing CPR on her 3-month-old daughter. Paramedics took over those lifesaving measures as the little girl was rushed to a nearby hospital. There, the child eventually succumbed to her injuries.
After the child’s death, the case was referred to CUSI and investigators quickly executed a search warrant on the residence, according to the Vermont Daily Chronicle. That search allegedly turned up an open container in the stove in the kitchen, which was later determined to be fentanyl.
Investigators also managed to obtain a sample of the defendant’s blood in order to perform a toxicology test. That test turned up the presence of benzoylecgonine, fentanyl, norfentanyl and methadone, police say.
After an autopsy, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the infant, Sapphira Tanita Perez Sanchez, died by drowning.
Over time, the law enforcement narrative came together.
While under the influence of various narcotics, Arnold left her daughter alone in a bathtub as it was filling with water, police claim.
On Oct. 27, a court signed off on the arrest warrants.
Arnold, for her part, recently made contact with law enforcement and knows about the warrants out in her name but has refused to meet with authorities or turn herself in, CUSI officials claim.
Now, law enforcement is asking for the community’s help with bringing the wanted mother in and encouraging Vermonters to either contact CUSI directly or the local police department.
