Mom accused of killing her son more than 10 years after she allegedly tried to drown him
VISALIA, Calif. – A 12-year-old boy, who detectives believe was killed by his mother, died from "freshwater drowning," according to an autopsy performed Monday.
Jackson Telnas' younger brother, Jacob Ray Telnas, 7, remains in critical condition at Valley Children's Hospital, sheriff's officials said.
The mother of the children, Sherri Telnas, 45, remains behind bars. She has been denied bail.
Prosecutors have until tomorrow morning to file homicide charges against the woman or release her from jail.
The deadly incident was reported around 5:25 a.m. on Saturday at a home in the 18900 block of Avenue 184 in Strathmore.
A caller told 911 dispatchers that a woman, later identified as Telnas, was acting "strangely" and had taken her boys to a field across the street from their home.
While deputies were on their way to the area, they were told the boys were found in a full irrigation canal near a cornfield. The children weren't breathing, according to deputies.
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Paramedics rushed the boys to a nearby hospital, where Jackson later died. Jacob was taken to Valley Children's Hospital where he remains in critical condition.
Telnas is linked, according to "The Missoulian" newspaper, to a near-drowning of Jackson in Montana in 2008.
When Missoula law enforcement arrived at the hospital in 2008 and asked Telnas what happened to the child, she told officers, "I tried to drown my baby," according to the Montana media outlet.
Telnas was 34 at the time. The mother allegedly tried to drown her son "in the Clark Fork River, apparently at the behest of imaginary voices," the newspaper reported.
Telnas was sentenced in 2009 to 10 years under the custody of Montana’s human services department for trying to drown her then 10-month-old son, according to public records. She was released in 2016.
She was later granted custody of the boy.
"We are aware of the Montana incident," said Ashley Ritchie, spokeswoman for the sheriff. "We are working with multiple agencies to confirm the details."
It unclear if Telnas has an attorney.
This case is currently under investigation by the Tulare County Violent Crimes Investigations Unit. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Miguel Franco or Sgt. Gary Marks at 802-9563 or (800) 808-0488.
Anonymous information about this crime can be reported via Tipnow email tcso@tipnow.net, text or voicemail at 725-4194, or download the Tipnow app for Android or Apple phones.
Follow Sheyanne Romero on Twitter @sheyanne_VTD.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Mom accused of killing her son more than 10 years after she allegedly tried to drown him
