Arissa Ward was charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of children after she accidentally suffocated her 2-month-old baby son in 2016

NEED TO KNOW

• Arissa Ward was arrested on April 21 after the 2-year-old boy she was meant to be babysitting was found wandering in the middle of the road
• She has been charged with a felony charge of child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of recklessly endangering another person
• In 2018, Ward was sentenced to two days in prison after accidentally killing her 2-month-old son by falling asleep on the couch and rolling over onto him while under the influence of alcohol and marijuana

A Pennsylvania mom, who was previously convicted of accidentally killing her own baby, is now accused of endangering another person's child.

In December 2016, Arissa Ward was charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of children after she accidentally suffocated her 2-month-old son by falling asleep on the couch and rolling over onto him while under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, local outlet ABC 7 reported at the time. 

She was sentenced to two days in prison, as well as three months of house arrest, 40 hours of community service and five years of probation, in 2018. 

Nearly a decade after the tragic incident, Ward, 32, was arrested on Tuesday, April 21, when the 2-year-old boy she was meant to be babysitting was found wandering alone in the middle of the road, per Fox News, ABC 7 and Law & Crime.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Law & Crime, the toddler was “cold to the touch” when he was found due to wearing “no socks and no shoes” in 37-degree weather. 

The Pennsylvania State Police told the outlet that the child was “found in the middle of the road” on W. Main Street in Windsor at around 8 a.m. local time that morning when a bystander reported their discovery to the police. Following an investigation, police “determined the young child’s babysitter, Arissa Ward, had fallen asleep and the child had gotten out of the house.”

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Upon knocking on Ward’s door, police asked if she was missing a child, to which she replied, “Yes, yes, but he is not mine," per the affidavit.

"[The boy's mom] dropped him off with me this morning," she continued. "He's a little boy, he's 2 … with blonde curly hair."

When asked for an explanation as to why the child was found wandering by himself, Ward allegedly claimed that she was sleeping in her second-floor bedroom with her own two kids and her dog when the child’s mother dropped him off at around 6:30 a.m., per Law & Crime, citing the affidavit.

In the affidavit, the mother confirmed that she “walked in the residence” and took her child upstairs to Ward’s bedroom, where the door was left open. 

“[The mother] stated Ward was asleep and she had to wake her up,” the affidavit said, adding that Ward had to be jolted awake multiple times. "[The mother] stated she did not close the bedroom door behind her, and is not certain if the baby gate was latched behind her. [The mother] stated she pulled the front door shut as she left."

Around 9:19 a.m. that day, Ward allegedly began texting the mother to ask where she and the boy were, seemingly unaware that the 2-year-old had been dropped off at all, per the affidavit. While the mother then tried to call Ward five times, each call allegedly went to voicemail. 

By 10 a.m., the mother received a call from the police informing her that her 2-year-old child was in police custody after being found wandering outside. Ward was then arrested and charged with a felony charge of child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of recklessly endangering another person.

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