Jacksonville mother charged with manslaughter after toddler found drowned

A 30-year-old Jacksonville woman faces felony charges after her 16-month-old son was found unconscious in a water container and later died. She turned herself in on January 5, 2026.

Jacksonville mother faces felony charges after 16-month-old son dies

Elizabeth Marie Holderness, 30, of Jacksonville, North Carolina, has been charged with felony involuntary manslaughter following the death of her 16-month-old son in December 2025, wcti12.com reports.

Deputies from the Onslow County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call at approximately 4:30 p.m. on December 11, 2025, reporting a missing child at a residence in the 200 block of Old Timber Road. Upon arrival, officers found the toddler unconscious and submerged in water inside a container on the front porch.

Emergency Medical Services personnel and deputies immediately administered lifesaving measures. The boy was transported to Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, where he was pronounced dead.

Arrest warrants allege that Holderness showed reckless disregard for human life, having willfully ingested an illegal substance in a separate room for an extended period while the child was in her care.

Following the investigation, Holderness turned herself in to the Onslow County Sheriff's Office on January 5, 2026. In addition to the manslaughter charge, she faces felony negligent child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury and six misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

At her first court appearance on Monday in Onslow County District Court, she received a $75,000 unsecured bond. Holderness bonded out later that afternoon.

Source: Google News GY — Georgetown