Girl, 8, found dead in overflowing bathtub after mother allegedly left her home alone

SPOKANE, Wash. (Gray News) - A Washington state mother is facing charges after her 8-year-old daughter, who had allegedly been left home alone, was found dead in an overflowing bathtub.

Travionna Johnson, 23, is facing felony charges of manslaughter and abandonment of a dependent. Her 8-year-old daughter was found dead in an overflowing bathtub after Johnson allegedly left her home alone, according to court records cited by The Spokesman-Review and KREM.

The Spokane Fire Department responded to Johnson’s apartment last Sunday morning after a neighbor called 911 to report water leaking from an upstairs unit. Firefighters found Johnson’s daughter floating, unresponsive, in the bathtub. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Court records show the 8-year-old had epilepsy, a developmental disability and was nonverbal. She also had mobility issues and needed help to take baths, eat and get dressed.

Johnson told investigators she left for work just before 7 a.m., leaving her daughter asleep in the apartment alone, according to court records. She allegedly said her daughter operates at a 3- or 4-year-old level, and she knows she should not be left alone out of concern for her safety.

According to court records, Johnson also told investigators her daughter was fascinated with running water, and she let her play with the bathroom sink’s faucet but not the bathtub’s faucet.

During Johnson’s first court appearance, her family said she wasn’t in her right mind at the time of the alleged crimes and needs help to address ongoing mental health issues.

“I know deep in my heart that she loved her baby, and she would never do anything to cause her harm. If she did – and if anything went wrong – I know it was not her in her right mind,” said Johnson’s mother, Kimberly Russell.

Johnson’s bond was set at $500,000. Her trial has been scheduled for November.