Father Arrested After His Toddler Allegedly Drowned in His Arms in Hot Tub

A father has been arrested after his toddler allegedly drowned when he fell asleep in a hot tub with the baby still in his arms.

The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) in Florida shared in a news release that Washington, D.C., native Reynard Tyrone Hough, 33, was arrested and faces charges related to child neglect and manslaughter.

Reynard’s arrest comes after OCSO deputies responded to a home on Nice Court in Kissimmee on Dec. 13 just after 3:30 a.m. following a report of an “unresponsive child who appeared to have drowned in a hot tub.”

After deputies arrived on the scene, they found a 20-month-old girl unresponsive, and she was transported to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after 4:30 a.m.

Upon their investigation, detectives discovered that a family from Washington, D.C., had been staying in the home, which was listed as an Airbnb rental at the time. Reynard allegedly told officials that “he brought his daughter into the hot tub and fell asleep while holding her.”

“He reported waking up to find the child unresponsive in his arms while still in the hot tub,” the OCSO said in its press release.

Reynard was charged with child neglect causing great bodily harm and with aggravated manslaughter of a child. He was arrested and booked into the Osceola County Jail.

The OCSO said that the incident is still under investigation.

Reynard also allegedly admitted to sheriffs that he had been drinking and ingested two different narcotics prior to entering the hot tub with his daughter, per OCSO, according to WESH-TV.

“I feel bad for this mom and dad; they were devastated and they had another 6-month-old child at the home. We do know that watching two small kids can be challenging,” said OCSO Capt. Kim Montes, per the outlet.

The OCSO did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on its investigation.

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Reynard’s sister, Angel Hough, identified the toddler as Azariah Hough to WESH-TV. She told the outlet of the incident, “It’s very hard losing a niece this way and then we have so much hurt for my brother because he’s just so distraught and tore up.”

She said that their family was heartbroken and still mourning the loss of the 20-month-old girl, who was born on April 11, 2024.

“She will be missed, and especially just seeing her little butt running around. I just can’t believe it’s almost Christmas and this happened,” she added.