Jackson mother says she drank bleach, stabbed herself after drowning baby

JACKSON, Tenn. — A Jackson woman admitted to investigators that she drank bleach and stabbed herself after drowning her 17-month-old son, according to court documents.

Documents state the Jackson Police Department and EMS responded to Park Ridge Drive around 4:55 a.m. on December 1, in reference to a report of a female passed out at a residence.

Officers spoke with the 911 caller upon their arrival, who told them her neighbor, 36-year-old Frances Cornett, had knocked on her door before passing out at the doorway. EMS determined that Cornett had been stabbed.

Officers then entered Cornett’s residence to search for a suspect or other victims, and located a fully clothed toddler floating in a bath tub. Police called EMS into the residence, who determined the child was deceased.

Cornett was transported to a local hospital for treatment, where she told an officer that she had stabbed herself.

Back at the residence, investigators discovered blood stains on the floors, along with a bloody knife and a bottle of bleach near a pool of blood. No signs of forced entry or a struggle were observed, documents state.

On December 8, Cornett was interviewed by police at the hospital. She admitted to filling the tub and holding her son face down under the water for approximately 15 minutes on the evening of November 30.

Additionally, Cornett told investigators she then drank bleach and stabbed herself in an attempt to kill herself.

Cornett has been charged with first degree murder following the death of the child.