Alabama woman accused of drowning her child in water and olive oil

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A northern Alabama woman is accused of drowning her 2-year-old daughter in a bathtub filled with “cold water and olive oil,” according to court documents filed Friday.

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Luccuina Lanashia Braithwaite, 25, of Huntsville, was charged with capital murder, according to Madison County Sheriff’s Office online booking records.

According to an affidavit filed Friday in Madison County Circuit Court, a Huntsville police officer claimed Braithwaite killed her 2-year-old daughter, identified in court records as Laioni Harriet Douglas, by “drowning her with a bathtub full of cold water and olive oil,” AL.com reported.

Officers with the Huntsville Police Department were called to an apartment complex in Huntsville for a welfare check on Wednesday and spoke with Braithwaite, WHNT-TV reported.

Officers at the scene checked the apartment and discovered the child floating in the bathtub, according to WAFF-TV. Officers attempted CPR and called for an ambulance.

The child was taken to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the television station reported.

According to police, Braithwaite fled after officers attempted to detain her at the scene, AL.com reported. She was captured after a short pursuit at the Challenger School in Huntsville, according to the news outlet. Police said Braithwaite had no connection to the school and there was no threat to anyone at the facility.

Braithwaite remains in the Madison County Jail without bail, online records show. She will appear in court for a hearing on Aug. 10, WAFF reported.

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