Police: Charges filed against mother after disturbing viral video
ATLANTA - Griffin Police have filed charges against a mother after a disturbing video appearing to show a person putting her 5-month-old child headfirst into water circulated on social media.
WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised on the above video as many will find it disturbing.
Griffin Police confirmed the arrest Wednesday of 27-year-old Laquanda Lenea Mosley.
A Griffin Police spokesperson said the mother is being held in the Spalding County Jail on felony aggravated assault with attempt to murder, child cruelty, and terroristic threats.
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Griffin Police Lt. Michael Natale said investigators are in the process of securing additional warrants against the mother.
Natale said Griffin Police became aware of the video after being contacted Tuesday by the child’s father who lives out of state.
The video shows the child being put head-first upside down into the water.
"It's tough to watch. It's tough to watch. I think we all can agree on that," said Capt. Chris Wilson, Griffin Police Department.
He added officers made the arrest after conducting a welfare check at the mother’s apartment on the 800 block of North Eighth Street.
According to the police, Mosley told officers she shot the video Tuesday and sent it to the child’s father as a Facebook message. The father then posted it on social media before contacting the police.
"If it wouldn't have been posted we wouldn't have known," Capt. Wilson said in a press conference. "That's the kind of the double-edged sword."
"My heart, dropped in my stomach and I, I, I, I'm grown, I'm not a crybaby, I immediately start crying and bust into tears because this is my daughter," said Kevin Banks, the infant's father.
The infant was checked out by medical staff at the Spalding Regional Hospital. She has since been released. They have not said whether the infant received any injuries.
"Through our initial investigation and talking to her, I will say she did it early in the morning which would have put the kids at school, the youngest kids at school, so, yeah the young kids would not have been there. I believe they're in Pre-K and Kindergarten age," said Capt. Wilson.
All three children are now in the custody of the Department of Family and Children's Services
The arrest follows a number of FOX 5 Facebook users expressing outrage at the video.
Atlanta Police asked people not to share the deeply disturbing video any further. Police are in the process of trying to get the video taken down.