8-month old baby found floating in bathtub shows no signs of brain activity

Case under investigation by Pinal County Sheriff's Office

On Wednesday, August 10 at 11:28 a.m. Pinal County Sheriff's dispatch received a 9-11 call from a home on E. Prarie Hawk Lane in rural San Tan Valley from the neighbor of a woman who had found her 8-month-old daughter floating face down in a bath tub.

The child's mother, Patricia Schettler, grabbed the little girl and rushed to the neighbor's house for help. Neighbors were performing CPR, but could not establish a pulse. Paramedics took over CPR, but were also unsuccessful in reviving the child, 8-month-old Chevelle Schettler.

Patricia Schettler told deputies she was giving the baby a bath and turned to grab a towel. When she turned back, she said the child was floating face down in the water.  The child was not breathing and was blue in color.  In a panic, the mother said she grabbed her child and rushed next door for help. At the time of the incident, the mother’s toddler-aged son was also home in a separate room. The father was working in Florence.

The baby was taken to Banner Ironwood hospital by ground ambulance where EMTs were able to establish a faint pulse. The baby was then flown via helicopter to Cardon Children’s Medical Center in Mesa where doctors have been able to stabilize her, but she is not breathing on her own. According to a press release from PCSO, as of early evening, the child does not appear to show any signs of brain function.

PCSO detectives are investigating the case.