Mother Charged With Aggravated Manslaughter of Daughter

A 19-year-old Florida mother was charged with aggravated manslaughter in the death of her 8-month-old daughter. Police say the mother left the child unattended for almost five hours before the baby's death in February.

Polk County Sheriff's deputies say Jada LaBoeuf was arrested on Oct. 19 and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, reports WTFS. Her daughter, Journey LeBeouf, died on Feb. 13, 2017 after suffocating. Deputies say the baby was left alone for almost five hours.

Up Next: Mom Speaks out After Her Son's Daycare Death: 'When Your Child Dies, You Wish You Could Die'

LaBeouf and her daughter lived with her aunt and maternal grandparents in Winter Haven, Florida. According to the arrested affidavit, deputies discovered that the mother would usually sleep on a living room couch while her daughter slept in a car seat in the same room.

The day after Journey died, the other members of the family noticed that her mother was missing at 4:40 a.m. They didn't see Journey in the car seat and thought her mother took her when she left. But 50 minutes later, LaBeouf returned without Journey. They discovered the baby tangled in the blanket.

More: Texas Toddlers Die After Mom Leaves Them in Hot Car as Punishment

During the investigation, LaBeouf told detectives she went out with a friend early that morning, but they discovered she was lying. In reality, she left with a friend at 12:45 a.m. to find an open hookah bar. They eventually found an open one in Orlando, and stopped at a McDonald's along the way, according to police. Deputies said LaBeouf didn't tell her family she was leaving.

"This terrible tragedy was 100 percent preventable. It is beyond comprehension how a mother could leave her child alone for five hours," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told WFTS. "That beautiful little baby girl should be alive today."

Journey's autopsy determined the cause of death was suffocation.