Pontoon Beach woman charged in death of 3-year-old son

A Pontoon Beach woman was charged in the death of her 3-year-old son.

Amiethyst Carruba, 23, was charged with one count of endangering the life or health of a child, Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced Friday.

The Pontoon Beach Police Department responded to a call about a missing child on Friday, March 5. Upon arrival, the police found the child floating unresponsive in Mallard Lake.

The officers rescued the child from the water and performed CPR, then transported him to a hospital where he later died.

According to the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office, the child endangerment charge is a class 3 felony and is punishable with up to 10 years in a state prison.

“The punishable death of young children is devastating,” Haine said. “While nothing can bring him back, we hope to ensure justice is served on his behalf.”

Haine thanked the Pontoon Beach Police Department, the Southern Illinois Child Death Investigation Task Force, and the Department of Child and Family Services for their role in investigating this case.

This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 1:18 PM.