The mother of a toddler who drowned over the weekend has said her son’s death was a “tragic mistake”.
15-month-old Junior Paul Donley was in the bath at their South Australian home on Sunday when his mother Kelly-Anne Deverix, 33, went to unload the washing, leaving him alone for “10, 15 minutes”.
However, when the mum-of-four returned, little Junior was dead.
“He was very waterwise, as you can see in the photo (taken several months ago) he could stand up. At times he could slip but was able to pick himself straight back up,’ she told The Advertiser.
“(As a parent) we know what our children are capable of and not capable of. I just took that risk and that chance which I shouldn’t have,” she said.
“But I can’t go regretting, I can’t keep blaming myself for an honest mistake.”
Junior’s father, Paul Donley, tried to resuscitate his little boy, but couldn’t bring him back.
“I just grabbed him straight off her, doing CPR . . . I ended up with vomit in my mouth” he said.
“I thought I got him back a couple of times but I didn’t, but I didn’t fix him. Usually I can fix things, but I couldn’t fix him.”
Police confirmed the child’s death, but would not release details, saying only that there were no suspicious circumstances.
The family is also known to Families SA, according to Education and Child Development officials.
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