Mother Arrested After Allegedly Throwing Children into Louisiana Lake, Killing Infant, Injuring Small Child

A woman has been arrested after she allegedly threw her infant and five-year-old child off of a bridge at Cross Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana, which killed the infant and injured the small child.

Police responded to a report of an infant floating in the water at Cross Lake before 11:00 am on the morning of Friday, September 24 KSLA reports. Upon locating the infant in the lake officers discovered that the child was in fact deceased.

“A short time later our marine patrol, continuing its efforts, located another small child in the water,” Sgt. Angie Willhite of the Shreveport Police Department told KSLA. “That child was transported to Ochsner LSU Health Center. They remain. They are still alive.”

BREAKING UPDATE: Shreveport police confirm woman accused of throwing 2 children off bridge into Cross Lake was taken into custody at TX state line. Investigators want to hear from anyone who might have seen her van or "anything out of order" DETAILS » https://t.co/vSQyjcTGMs

— KTAL NBC 6 News (@NBC6News) September 24, 2021

The child is a five-year-old boy and his injuries were considered life-threatening, but have since been downgraded to non-life-threatening, KSLA reports.  The child was able to provide authorities with critical information that enabled them to find to identify his own mother, Ureka Black. Authorities were searching for a third child in the lake, but it was confirmed by authorities that the child was safe in another location according to ArkLaTex. 

Black, 32, was arrested at a rest stop in Waskom, Texas, which is just west of the Louisiana and Texas state line in the afternoon of September 24. Black was driving a Dodge Caravan with Texas plates and was taken into custody by the Waskom Police Department.

Black has been charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder. No bond has been set and she awaits extradition back to Caddo Parrish.

“This is a tragedy. We ask for prayer for the family and children,” said Sgt. Angie Willhite. “Pray for law enforcement officers who’ve been out here all day, firefighters, dive teams, been a multi-agency effort. There is no happy ending for this.”

“What was overwhelming was knowing that it was a baby that lost its life today, so I think about the ongoing trauma that that child’s brother is going to feel,” said Shreveport Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor, who serves District A.