MONSTROUS

Alabama Boy, 10, Played Dead to Survive Mom’s Drowning Attempt: Cops

He climbed into the bathtub because she threw bleach on him, and then she held his head underwater, police say.

An Alabama mom has been arrested for allegedly trying to drown her 10-year-old son in the bathtub—a horror show that only ended when he played dead. The terrifying episode happened after the child told Ashley Elizabeth Jones he would rather live with his father than stay with her—and she threw bleach on him in a rage. AL.com reports that, according to court papers, the boy went into the tub to wash off the caustic chemical and Jones, 34, followed him in and held his head under water for 45 seconds until he pretended to go limp. But the nightmare wasn't over: She allegedly then locked him in the closet for three hours. The boy’s ordeal came to light when he told his father, who has joint custody, that Jones was abusing him and had also bitten and hit him, leaving cuts and bruises, according to court records. The Sheffield resident has been charged with aggravated child abuse but denied the accusations; she was released on $50,000 bond.