A former St. James police officer was charged on Sept. 16 in connection with the 2022 drowning of a two-year-old in his pool. Carl E. Swanson, 41, faces one felony count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child—serious physical injury—no sexual contact. His bond was set at $100,000.

The Phelps County Sheriff’s Department led the investigation at the request of the St. James Police Department. According to investigators, the investigation centered around the drowning, which occurred on Oct. 16, 2022, at Swanson’s home.

According to the police in the probable cause statement filed in Phelps County Circuit Court, law enforcement was notified that a two-year-old had died of an accidental drowning by climbing into a swimming pool on Jana Lane.

Swanson was interviewed by law enforcement in 2022, allegedly telling officers he was in his bedroom and thought the boy was being cared for by nine-year-old and 12-year-old siblings. Swanson told officers that no one could find the child, and a search inside and outside the residence occurred.

The child was found floating unresponsive in a three-foot-deep backyard pool and was airlifted to St. Louis Children’s Hospital for treatment, where he would later die of complications.

On Sept. 15, investigators reported in the probable cause statement that new information had developed that led to the investigation being reopened.

A witness contacted law enforcement, reporting they’d had a conversation with a female who allegedly stated she had sex with Swanson the day the child drowned and felt responsible for the death.

Investigators with the sheriff’s department interviewed the female subject, who told law enforcement the statement was true. She had relations with Swanson that day, and the two-year-old was left unattended for approximately 30 minutes between when the child was left alone and when he was found in the pool. Afterward, she reported, Swanson played video games, and the child was still unattended.

When the subject asked Swanson about the child’s whereabouts, a search reportedly began for the child.

Investigators reported in the interview that Swanson admitted the child should not have been left alone, but it was not unusual, as the other siblings routinely watched the younger child. The female subject also told investigators that Swanson told her if anyone asked what happened, to say he had just gotten home from work or was leaving for work.

The reporting officer said in the statement that Swanson was criminally negligent and did not provide an acceptable level of care for the child.