By Sarah Volpenhein
Grand Forks Herald
DEVILS LAKE, N.D. — An 18-month-old baby who drowned in a bathtub in a Devils Lake apartment complex and was later resuscitated died Sunday after he was taken off life support, said Detective Brandon Potts of the Devils Lake Police Department.
Katie Veralrud, 30, left her child in the bathtub alone for one to two minutes while she was cooking dinner on Monday, Nov. 17 at her apartment in Devils Lake, Potts said. When she came back to check on 18-month-old Jaxsen, he was unresponsive.
She took him out of the bathtub and began CPR but was unable to get his heart beating again by the time the ambulance arrived, Potts said. He was transported to Mercy Hospital where medical staff resuscitated him. He was then life-flighted to a Fargo hospital in critical condition, Potts said.
The baby had suffered severe brain damage from not breathing for eight to 10 minutes, Potts said, and was taken off life support on Sunday.
Potts said the investigation is ongoing and investigators are gathering more evidence before deciding whether to press charges.
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©2014 the Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.)