Calif. Mom of 5 Charged In Connection to Death of Son Found Unresponsive in Tub

A mother of five is being accused of causing the death of her youngest child.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, the Placentia Police Department confirmed in a press release that Melissa Lynn Beisel, 40, had been arrested after her 2-year-old son died during bath time at their home in Placentia, Calif.

“On September 22, 2025, at approximately 9:08 PM, Placentia Public Safety Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call reference a 2-year-old male child who was unresponsive,” the report read. “Placentia Police Officers and Placentia Fire personnel arrived on scene and located the male child in the bathroom, and life saving measures began.”

The toddler was taken to a local hospital, “where he was ultimately pronounced deceased.”

Officials noted that Beisel was treated for “self-inflicted wounds,” which Lt. Joe Connell told The Orange County Register “didn’t appear to be life-threatening.”

“The investigation revealed that the mother was giving the child a bath in a walk-in shower, using a plastic storage bin,” authorities said. “The mother walked out of the bathroom to obtain some soap and left the child alone for approximately 2 minutes.”

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Beisel’s son was “face down in the bin, unresponsive” when she returned, officials alleged. “The mother began CPR on the child and when it was not effective, the mother harmed herself with a sharp object.”

Police say Beisel stayed in the bathroom with her unresponsive son for around six hours before a relative found them and called emergency services.

After being discharged from hospital, Beisel was taken to jail and charged with involuntary manslaughter and child abuse causing great bodily injury, per the Placentia Police Department.

Authorities said that while they didn’t believe Beisel wanted to intentionally drown the boy, her leaving him alone in the bath and not calling the police after finding him unresponsive was negligent, according to The Orange County Register.

Beisel lived with her partner and their five children. Their deceased son was the youngest, and Connell said that the other children ranged from “elementary age to mid-teens.”

Molly Ortiz, who lived in the house in front of Beisel’s, told The Orange County Register that the family seemed to be “loving” and “normal.”

While police had found no records of activity at the home before, Ortiz recalled having a member of Child Protective Services show up at her home looking for Beisel “several months ago.” The reason for the alleged visit was not clear and had not been confirmed.

The investigation remains ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Placentia Police Department Detective Bureau at (714) 993-8146. 

“Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Orange County Crimestoppers at (855) TIPS-OCCS or https://occrimestoppers.org,” they added.

PEOPLE has contacted the Placentia Police Department for further comment.