ALBION, Mich. — An Albion mother accused of attempting to murder her children by drowning and stabbing is ordered to undergo a mental competency evaluation before trial later this year.
Jessica Edward-Ricks, 35, is accused of attempting to drown her 2-year-old daughter in the bathtub. She is also accused of stabbing the 2-year-old and her 4-year-old son.
Albion Police say that there was also an 8-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl in the home at the time of the incident who were not injured. The 15-year-old was the one who called for help, according to police.
Officers responded to a call from the 15-year-old girl on the morning of Saturday, June 24 and when they arrived, they heard commotion with children screaming and asking for help.
Bodycam footage from an officer shows them kicking down a bathroom door and finding a 35-year-old woman holding a 2-year-old under the water in the bathtub.
The video shows an officer pulling the child from the bathtub and performing CPR until the 2-year-old eventually coughs up water and begins breathing on her own.
The two younger children were taken to the hospital in Jackson and then transferred to Ann Arbor.
They were then released from the hospital two days after the incident.
Edward-Ricks was taken into custody and was charged with six felony charges — two of assault with intent to commit murder, two of first-degree child abuse and two of second-degree child abuse.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges through a public defender and had a bond set at $500,000.
10th District Court Judge Jason C. Bomia ordered Edward-Ricks to complete a competency evaluation before appearing back in court.
Edward-Ricks is due back in court in October.
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