Mother Charged in Lancaster Infant’s Hotel-Tub Drowning

Diontae Nicole Beckett, 25, of Philadelphia, is facing involuntary manslaughter and child-endangerment charges after her 5-month-old daughter drowned at a Lancaster County hotel on May 11. Prosecutors allege Beckett placed the infant in a spa tub while intoxicated; she told investigators she had been drinking throughout the day and initially denied putting the child in the tub, but a photo and video on her phone appeared to show otherwise. A breath test recorded her blood alcohol level at 0.149%, while hotel surveillance showed her carrying the seemingly lifeless infant into the lobby as guests called 911 and attempted lifesaving measures. The coroner ruled the child’s cause of death freshwater drowning and the death accidental. Beckett waived her preliminary hearing and was released on $100,000 bail as the case proceeds in county court.