Woman Convicted In Toddler’s Drowning In Neighbor’s Landscaping Pond

March 27, 2014

An Escambia County woman was convicted Wednesday on negligent manslaughter and three counts of child neglect stemming from the drowning of her toddler in a neighbor’s small pond.

Jennifer Lynn Eiland, 32, will be sentenced April 10. Her 14-month old, Alana Mae Eiland, was found unresponsive in her neighbor’s landscaping pond in August 2013 in the 10600 block of Betmark Road, just off 10 Mile Road.

The neighbor was alerted to the child by one of the child’s siblings. First responders attempted rescue efforts, but Alana Mae was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at a local hospital.

Neighbor Larry Kruger made the discovery in his front yard after one of Eiland’s children knocked on his door. The little girl’s body was under a small bridge the crosses the pond, which is less than two feet deep.

Investigators found “unsanitary living conditions” in the Betmark Road home where Eiland and her children were living at the time of the drowning, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

The child’s father, a Merchant Marine, returned home from being at sea following the incident.

Eiland has had prior abuse allegations in Alabama. According to investigators, the children,whose ages range from three to eight,had been placed in foster care and were only returned to the care of their mother in the recent months before the drowning.

Two of Eiland’s surviving children are living with a friend of the father, and two are in foster care.

Pictured top and bottom: Larry Kruger (bottom photo) discovered the lifeless body of a nieghbor’s 14-month old girl in his landscaping pondin August 2013. Photo by Joe Douglass WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

4 Responses to “Woman Convicted In Toddler’s Drowning In Neighbor’s Landscaping Pond”

  1. Trisha on March 29th, 2014 12:19 pm

    I have to agree with Chris. Unless you were there you don’t know the real details. I don’t approve of how children are raised now, not enough supervision not enough discipline. But on the other hand when I was young we would be gone down the neighborhood all day long without coming home. Bad parenting, I don’t think so. Yes a safer world (maybe) and we could get out rear ends busted with a belt. Sad situation and compassion is needed before we fry someone in the electric chair.

  2. Chris on March 28th, 2014 8:36 pm

    Where is any human compassion here? She may or may not have been a good mother. Her house may have been dirty. She lost her child. ! …and you’re talking about the electric chair? This was a tragic horrible accident! Can anybody honestly say they never lost track of their child: even for a minute or two?

    This woman lost her child. Is this not the greatest punishment? I hope the good Lord is kind enough to spare you this terrible heart ache.

  3. mick on March 27th, 2014 12:03 pm

    To harm a child, your own flesh and blood not much to say of such a despicable person like you . Earthly punishment is just the beginning…

  4. Stanley Beech on March 27th, 2014 11:13 am

    Florida use to have a good program for killers, it was called The Electric chair.but the Liberals, deemed it too harsh.Stop and think for a moment how you would feel if your life was fixing to be taken away by some idiot.If you are murdered, odds are you are going to suffer tremendously., If stricter punishment was handed out to these killers, then you wouldn’t see half as many of these stories,

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News