Police: Rachel Sweet Charged In Drowning Death Of 2 Month Old Son

**radi0ph0nic** · May 23rd, 2011, 03:24 AM

Linn baby drowns in bathtub, mother arrested
03.09.2011

Original Story:
Police in Linn are investigating after a two-month old baby drowns. University Hospital confirms the victim was Cooper Sweet. The Linn newspaper the "Unterrified Democrat" reports medics were called to a home on Main Street Tuesday morning and found the infant unconscious in the bathtub. The baby was revived and taken to Children's Hospital in Columbia where he later died. [...]

Update Thursday March 10th 3:55 p.m.:
[...] Neighbors said that they had called Social Services numerous times to check out the situation at Sweet's home. The Department of Social Services won't confirm or deny that they had contact with the family.

Update Thursday March 10th at 9:01 p.m.:
[...] Rachel Sweet is well known in the small town of Linn, but not necessarily for good things. People KRCG spoke with told various stories about the 28-year-old mother. Online court records show in 2008 she pleaded guilty to stealing, that same year she was charged with possession of a controlled substance. One year ago Sweet pleaded guilty to trespassing, then in August of 2010 she was charged with fraudulent use of a credit card. Later on that year, in September she was charged with stealing and was placed on two years of unsupervised probation. Just one month later she pleaded guilty again to stealing. [...]

Update: Wednesday, March 17 at 10:35 p.m.
A Linn woman has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment in the drowning death of her 2-month old son. [...]

Update: Tuesday, March 29 at 4:45 p.m.:
Rachel Sweet appeared in Osage County court on Tuesday. She was granted a public defender and a preliminary hearing was set for April 26. Sweet also asked the judge for a reduction in bond, but the judge denied the request.

http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/ne...aspx?id=590995

From the probable cause statement:

During the interview, she maintained that she had placed Cooper in the bathtub that morning and had only left him a couple minutes, and had returned to find him face down in the bath water. Throughout the interview, Ms. Sweet appeared extremely drowsy and at one point fell asleep during the interview. [...] Throughout the entire interview, Ms. Sweet appeared disoriented. Her speech was slurred; she was unable to focus on concentrate and frequently did not appropriately respond to questions. [...]

[Candace Houser, Sweet's mother,] stated she had gotten up that morning and had discovered the deceased face down in the bath water. The baby tub was tiled on its side. There was 7 to 8 inches of water in the tub and the water was on but running at a "trickle". [...] She removed the child from the tub, placed him on the bed in the adjacent bedroom and began CPR. [...] She revealed that she had discovered over 50 {Clonazepam} pills missing from her prescription and admitted she has had frequent arguments and concerns about Rachel's prescription drug abuse. [...]

Osage County Paramedic Kevin McCormick was the attending paramedic [...] he took the child's temperature approximately 15 minutes into transport and received a reading of 87.4 degrees Fahrenheit, an indication the child had been submerged in cool water for an extended period of time. [...]

M.H. [Cooper's 8-year-old sister] stated that she had discovered "Cooper in the bathtub". Her mother was asleep in the bedroom and she had gotten her grandmother and notified her that Cooper was in the bathtub. She said it took awhile to wake her mother up. [...]

[A teacher at the Linn R-II Elementary School] reported that on the evening of 07 March 2011, Rachel Sweet and her children, including the victim, were attending a school meeting. [...] At one point, she approached a teacher and asked to use the restroom, leaving the infant child with the teacher. After approximately 15 minutes, Ms. Sweet was found in a semi-conscious state in a stall in the restroom.

http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/up...sweet%20pc.pdf

Mom Faces Trial in Child's Death
Apr 26, 2011
Rachel Sweet appeared in court Tuesday, waiving her right to a preliminary hearing.

Sweet made the move against the advice of her court-appointed attorney.

http://www.abc17news.com/news.php?id=1907

And according to a search on Case.net, her next court date is June 3, 2011.

https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/ca...earchType=name and type in her name

**radi0ph0nic** · May 23rd, 2011, 03:28 AM

I didn't want to include this in the original post, but that newspaper title cracked me up... Unterrified Democrat, wonder what they were smoking when they came up with that one.

As for the actual story, it is heartbreaking how many people choose drugs over their children... and I wish waterboarding could be part of her punishment, so she could get just an inkling of an idea what her little baby went through.

**Tundratot** · May 23rd, 2011, 03:48 AM

God, what a profound idiot Rachel Sweet is. Just what the hell is so bad about her life that she has to be comatose to take it?

If she successfully got one child to the ripe old age of eight, why didn't she know that a 2 month old baby doesn't belong in a bathtub . . . and shouldn't be left alone in water at all?

Who actually discovered the baby face down in the water? There seem to be three people claiming that they did: Rachel, Candace, and MH. Now, I grant you, MH says she found the baby and told Candace about it, and Candace may be the one who actually took the baby out of the water, but what the hell is Rachel saying? Did she find him, and then go take a nap rather that pick him back up? Leaving her daughter and/or mother to also make such a stunningly hideous discover, too?

And, seriously, duck lips at the mug photo shoot?!!

**radi0ph0nic** · May 23rd, 2011, 04:32 AM

Originally Posted by Tundratot

Who actually discovered the baby face down in the water? There seem to be three people claiming that they did: Rachel, Candace, and MH. Now, I grant you, MH says she found the baby and told Candace about it, and Candace may be the one who actually took the baby out of the water, but what the hell is Rachel saying? Did she find him, and then go take a nap rather that pick him back up? Leaving her daughter and/or mother to also make such a stunningly hideous discover, too?

I'm sure Candace and MH are telling the truth. Obviously Rachel isn't going to say, "Yeah, I stuck my baby in a tub and then passed out in a drug-induced stupor... haven't we all done that at one time or another?" So, either she didn't think through the fact that her mother and daughter would have a different (true) version of what happened, or she asked them to lie for her and they didn't. I can only imagine the psychological scars her daughter will have after finding that scene in the bathroom.

**Toxic** · May 23rd, 2011, 08:36 AM

This is horrible...just horrible.

I hope she shoved enough pills up her snatch for an extended stay in jail. Fuckin bitch isnt worth the good genetics she obviously has. He was such a handsome little man

**princessgrandma** · May 23rd, 2011, 10:25 AM

That poor little baby didn't stand a chance, with Rachel Sweet as his mother. WTF happened to her?? I mean, she did have one kid who was all of 8 years old so she obviously either knew something about how kids should be raised or she had a hell of a lot of help. So, why kill a tiny defenseless baby? I don't see how someone could put that little guy in a tub and just walk away from him, or any baby for that matter.

My god! I want to take the pills and shove them down her throat myself. Here, Bitch, THIS is how you kill yourself!

I hope the GP gets a hold of her in women's prison, and that Bubbette is a mother who's missing her baby a LOT.

**Toxic** · May 23rd, 2011, 12:10 PM

@princessgrandma maybe if we close our eyes and wish really hard shell get placed in a cell with a bodybuilding butch doing life and who never sees her kids

**HijabiGirl** · May 23rd, 2011, 06:56 PM

I would've totally taken that baby off her hands. :( Who leaves a 2 month old alone in the tub? They can barely hold their own head up.

**AngelFire** · May 23rd, 2011, 07:04 PM

How did baby roll over in his baby tub at 2 months old? That's almost impossible. Like HG just said, they barely are capable of holding their little bobble heads up. Look at that little tyke, I can almost see what he would have looked like as a toddler. He has that big boy look at 2 months old. You can tell he would have been a husky little guy too.

Rachel Sweet, you are far from your last name you heinous cunt.

**princessgrandma** · May 23rd, 2011, 07:35 PM

@Toxic.... I am wishing right now!

The mommy in me wants to break every bone in her body. I swear, if I could afford it, I think I'd turn vigilante and visit all these stupid "perps and perpettes," as @Tundratot calls them. It would definitely save some money on trials and such.

There truly is a reason I hate people sometimes. I'm not totally irrational. OK, not all the time anyway.

**Robynne** · May 23rd, 2011, 09:20 PM

She did this shit on purpose. She's a selfish evil whore who should have her insides ripped out. I hate her for what she did ti her sweet little baby.

**radi0ph0nic** · May 23rd, 2011, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by Mybabiesmomma

How did baby roll over in his baby tub at 2 months old? That's almost impossible.

From the probable cause statement:

There was 7 to 8 inches of water in the tub and the water was on but running at a "trickle".

With that much water the baby would have been floating, and I don't think it would be that difficult for him to roll over... Or he could have gotten a mouthful of water and started thrashing.

**Dakota Valkyrie** · July 8th, 2011, 03:14 PM

Rachel Sweet pleaded guilty in Osage County Circuit Court to first-degree involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment.

The 28-year-old faces up to 10 years in prison for the drowning death of her infant son in a bathtub earlier this year.

http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/ne...aspx?id=637897

**Jerri Blank** · July 8th, 2011, 04:28 PM

'up to 10 years' means not likely 5 years in actual jail. that's just shit. *just shaking my head* this sucks

**AngelFire** · July 8th, 2011, 05:39 PM

@Jerri Blank, girl be patient maybe she will "accidentally" drown while she is in prison

**Jerri Blank** · July 8th, 2011, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by Mybabiesmomma

@Jerri Blank , girl be patient maybe she will "accidentally" drown while she is in prison

Hopefully the right women will learn of what she did and give her a hand with that :-) that thought does make me feel better.
*fingers are crossed*

**Hellsbells** · September 3rd, 2011, 12:34 PM

Linn mother sentenced to 10 years

Rachel Sweet will spend most of the next decade in prison.

Osage County Circuit Judge Gael Wood on Friday sentenced Sweet, 29, Linn, to seven years for her July 7 guilty plea to endangering the welfare of a child and three years, to be served after the first sentence is completed, for her guilty plea to an involuntary manslaughter charge.

Wood imposed the sentences after denying Public Defender John Tomlin’s request for a continuance in the case

http://www.newstribune.com/news/2011...nced-10-years/