Texas – In a deeply disturbing case in Texas that has sparked national attention, a 39-year-old Indiana woman named N. Martin has been charged with drowning a 4-year-old girl during an alleged baptism attempt in a bathtub.
According to reports, Martin, a cousin of the 4-year-old girl’s mother, is charged with capital murder following the tragic incident in September 2023.
The ordeal began on September 9, 2023, when emergency personnel were dispatched to a home where they discovered a young girl unresponsive in a bedroom. According to the District Attorney’s Office, Martin called authorities after discovering the child was cold to the touch and had foam coming from her mouth.
This discovery was made hours after the alleged drowning, following a traumatic night that ended fatally for the young child. Investigations revealed a bleak scene: puddles surrounded a large, dirty Jacuzzi tub, indicating a struggle or frantic activity had occurred.
Martin, who appeared distressed, told officers she had bathed the child and her siblings the night before and admitted to being in the bathtub with them. However, her memories of the events were erratic, and she struggled to recall specifics when questioned by the police.
Martin was arrested in Indiana in December 2024 and extradited to Texas, where she was formally charged with the capital murder of a child under the age of ten.
According to the affidavit, the incident occurred as Martin attempted to perform baptisms on the child and her siblings while holding them underwater.
The victim’s siblings described the heinous act, claiming that Martin held their sister under water until she stopped moving, and then he lay with the unresponsive child in the bathtub, delaying the 911 call until the next morning.
According to reports, Martin told the children that “God would show them something” just before drowning the 4-year-old girl.
The victim’s autopsy, which was released on February 8, 2024, confirmed drowning as the cause of death. Martin claimed the drowning was unintentional, telling officers, “I killed a kid…I didn’t mean to kill this baby,” but her actions resulted in severe legal consequences.
The delay in her arrest was attributed to the need for extensive interviews and the completion of the autopsy report, which was critical in determining the cause of death and the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Further complicating this tragic case, the children’s mother, who was out of town at the time, stated that she FaceTimed Martin and saw all three of her children alive in the tub. She expressed concern about Martin’s erratic behavior and her religious rants, which had alarmed her.
The surviving children’s testimonies were chilling; they described how Martin applied what she called “blessing oil” to the victim’s body and threatened them with eternal damnation if they revealed the events. One sibling lamented that “something happened, the devil,” during their ordeal.
Martin is currently in jail on a $2 million bond; his next court appearance is scheduled for March 20. The case has left the community and the nation stunned, as they grapple with the horror of a trusted caregiver becoming a perpetrator of such heinous acts.
This tragedy has sparked broader discussions about the safety of children in the care of relatives or friends, the detection of signs of mental illness, and the appropriate safeguards to protect the most vulnerable.
As the legal process progresses, many people are calling for justice for the young victim and preventative measures to keep other children from suffering similar fates.
