GRAND RAPIDS, MI – In a heart-wrenching case that has captivated the local community, a young mother from Michigan admitted to charges related to the drowning death of her infant son, whom she left unattended in a bathtub last November.
Olivia Miller, 23, submitted a no-contest plea on Monday concerning charges of involuntary manslaughter in the case of her 8-month-old son, Asher Johnson. According to court records, the plea deal means she could face up to one year in jail.
The tragic incident unfolded on November 22, 2023. Emergency services received a 911 call from Miller who reported that her son had drowned in the family’s bathtub at their residence in the 4600 block of 16 Mile Road Northwest. Despite immediate efforts by first responders who found the infant unresponsive, he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
During initial interviews, Miller claimed she left Asher alone in a bathtub with a few inches of running water while she attended to laundry in the adjacent room. She alleged that she returned within five minutes to discover him face up, with water covering his nose and mouth, and tried to resuscitate him until help arrived.
However, inconsistencies in her accounts emerged over the course of the investigation. According to authorities, Miller provided multiple differing narratives about the events of that day.
Investigators obtained information from Miller’s cellphone, which challenged her timeline. The phone data revealed that she engaged with her phone continuously from 3:17 p.m., pausing only once for 18 seconds, until she dialed 911 about 21 minutes later.
Further complicating her narrative, records indicated that four minutes prior to the 911 call, Miller sent a text to her father suggesting her son was simply taking a nap. She also made two calls to Asher’s paternal grandmother, conveying that the child had drowned, before reaching out to emergency services.
The autopsy, conducted by the county’s chief medical examiner, confirmed that drowning was the cause of the infant’s death. Additionally, it was estimated that Asher had remained on the floor, unresponsive, for at least 20 minutes before emergency personnel arrived.
Frank Stanley, Miller’s attorney, emphasized the absence of malice in her actions, describing the incident as an unintentional tragedy and highlighting the emotional toll on Miller, who has been deeply affected by her child’s death.
As the community comes to grips with this tragic event, Miller is scheduled for sentencing in early November. Her case continues to evoke intense public emotion, serving as a haunting reminder of the fragility of life and the profound impact of even momentary lapses in judgment.
