California Woman Arrested After Confessing To Drowning 4-Year-Old Grandson In Bathtub

Police officials believe that a California woman intentionally drowned her 4-year-old grandson in the bathtub then left his lifeless body in the hallway before leaving the house, according to NBC Bay Area. At approximately 10:50 a.m. on Tuesday, Fairfield police arrived at a home on 1400 block of Jefferson Street, where they discovered an unresponsive child lying soaking wet on the hallway floor.

Paramedics worked diligently to revive the boy, whose name has yet to be released, but it was to no avail. After he was transported to a local trauma center, the boy was pronounced dead. The boy’s 51-year-old grandmother, Dawn Diana Raines-Hewes, was arrested later that night after Fairfield police officials found “evidence at the scene, including statements that were provided — statements from the grandmother herself.”

Fairfield police officer Cleo Mayoral, who was at the scene, stated that “It was chaotic, very suspicious and unusual. The conduct and behavior of the grandmother was what immediately drew our attention.” The officer went on to say that “She was babysitting three grandchildren, including the 4-year-old, two girls, a 1-year-old girl and a 6-year-old girl. In the course of her taking care of these kids she took the 4-year-old boy and drowned him in the bathtub intentionally.”

However, it was not immediately certain if the grandmother intentionally murdered her grandson, but it was later reported that as Hewes was being questioned by Fairfield police, she confessed to intentionally taking her grandson, who is her daughter’s son, into the bathtub and drowned him. The motive for killing her grandson was not immediately clear, but an investigation is underway. According to the Daily Mail, Hewes’ other grandchildren were home during the time she drowned her 4-year-old grandson in the bathtub, but they were not injured.

Neighbor Gloria Vargas told reporters that before the police officials arrived at Hewes’ home, she knocked on her door and asked to use her daughter’s cellphone to call her boyfriend. She went on to say that Hewes seemed to be stressed, but she or her other neighbors had no idea she had just drowned her grandson in the bathtub. However, the neighbor’s daughter refused to let Hewes use her cellular device and that’s when she proceeded to ask other neighbors, but not long after, the police arrived.

The woman’s former sister-in-law, Lori Hewes, spoke to reporters on the phone, stating that she was shocked after learning Hewes intentionally drowned her grandson. She added that “That’s just not her. She loves kids. I don’t know what happened. I’m just an emotional wreck.” Hewes neighbor Uriel Perez was also shocked, saying that “I think it’s very sad. I have kids and I can’t imagine someone doing that to a grandson.”

After learning of the drowning death of Hewes’ 4-year-old grandson, family and friends were left stunned, stating that it didn’t seem like murdering her own grandson would be something she would do. Hewes’ 25-year-old stepdaughter, Crystal Hewes, stated that she was “great mother to her own children. She’s a loving caring person. She treated me as her own child.”

Sources say the mother of the drowned child has been notified, but it is unclear if the father was also notified of his death. The two remaining children has been separated from family members as police officer Cleo Mayoral stated that “At this point, it’s best to keep the children apart from the other adults in the family.”

Dawn Diana Raines-Hewes was arrested and taken to Solano County Jail on murder charges after she confessed to intentionally drowning her 4-year-old grandson. She is being held without a bond and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

[Image via Fairfield Police Department]