Amie Jo Farber admitted to police that her son’s drowning death was her fault after she allegedly drank five large beers in two hours and passed out by a backyard pool.
Farber, 41, of Evansville, Indiana, was arrested Saturday night and charged with neglect resulting in death after her 3-year-old son was found floating face down in a friend’s swimming pool. She is being held on a $25,000 cash bond with a court hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
The homeowner had agreed to let Farber and the boy swim but explicitly told her to keep a close eye on the child, according to the Evansville Police Department. About two hours later, the same homeowner discovered Farber fast asleep in a patio chair surrounded by empty beer cans while the toddler remained unresponsive in the water.
One witness pulled the boy from the pool and began performing CPR while another dialed 911. On that call, a person can be heard repeatedly yelling “Amie” in an attempt to rouse the mother, while another woman shouts “she’s passed out drunk!”
When officers arrived at the scene, they observed Farber throwing away empty beers in the trash. She appeared intoxicated to police at the time.
At the hospital, Farber told officers that she “must have fallen asleep” but couldn’t say for how long. She also admitted “this is all my fault,” though she did not elaborate further on those words.
Police obtained a search warrant to test Farber’s blood for drugs and alcohol following the incident. The results of that testing were not immediately available.
Farber’s Saturday arrest came with a disturbing parallel in her recent history. In 2023, she was arrested after a family member found her drunk while caring for an infant. During that incident, Farber drunkenly attempted to take the baby on a walk in a stroller but lost her balance and passed out on the ground. When she awoke, she threatened the family member who was holding and feeding her baby. Police arrested her after she fought back and spit at officers. It remains unclear whether the same child was involved in both incidents.
The homeowner told investigators that Farber consumed approximately five 25-ounce tallboy beers during the roughly two hours she spent in the backyard. Those cans were empty and scattered near the patio chair where she slept as witnesses scrambled to save her son’s life.
Farber was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail Saturday night on the neglect resulting in death charge. Her $25,000 cash bond requirement means she must post the full amount to secure release before trial.
The 2023 arrest resulted in charges after Farber’s drunken stroller incident escalated into violence against both a family member and responding officers. That case’s resolution was not detailed in available records.
Farber’s court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Evansville.