BY DAN HILDEBRAN
A 32-year-old Bradford County woman is facing a charge of aggravated manslaughter of a child after one of her children died of asphyxiation and the baby’s twin suffered severe, lifelong injuries in a similar incident.
According to a complaint, the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Rescue were called to a residence on County Road 100-A, also known as Griffis Loop, on January 22, 2024.
Ronnesha Flowers told first responders she was breastfeeding one of her twins around noon when she fell asleep.
“When she awoke,” wrote Detective Zachary Jones in the complaint, “she discovered (the child) laying on the bed unresponsive, not breathing, and blood coming out of his mouth.”
Jones added that the residence was in disarray, with toys, clothes, and other items scattered throughout all the rooms.
“The plumbing did not appear to be in working order due to both toilets being filled with feces and a bathroom sink stopped up as well,” Jones reported. “
Jones added that countless roaches and insects, some dead and some alive, were observed throughout the residence.
“In the master bedroom,” he wrote, “a baby blanket was observed on the bed with red in color stains on it that appeared to be blood. Similar red in color stains were also observed on the comforter of the bed that appeared to be blood.”
The child was pronounced dead at Shands Pediatrics later that day.
The detective added that under further questioning, Flowers said that after taking one child to school and preparing breakfast for the rest of the family, she began feeding her infant twins.
“One twin finished eating,” Jones wrote, “but the other wasn’t finished eating. During this time, Flowers started watching a show on Disney+ while she continued to breastfeed while lying on her right side. According to Flowers, she then fell asleep, and the next thing she remembers is waking up and finding (the child) motionless in the bed.”
The detective added that the mother told him the twins nap in the same bed as she does but typically sleep at the foot of the bed.
Jones concluded his report by stating that the mother failed to provide the victim with necessary care and supervision, resulting in the child’s death.
Sheriff’s Colonel Brad Smith told the Telegraph that around a month after the infant’s death, its twin suffered what he called severe, lifelong injuries under similar circumstances.
He added that the State Attorney’s Office decided to prosecute the mother.
Darry Lloyd, the chief investigator and public information officer for State Attorney Brian Kramer’s office, said prosecutors made their decision “based on the investigation and the evidence.”
He added that the office does not litigate trials in public but will present its case to a judge and jury.
