California grandma charged with murder for drowning grandson

A Fairfield woman accused of drowning her young grandson appeared in court and was formally charged with the four-year-old boy’s murder Thursday, according to authorities.

She called the drowning of the boy “very hard to believe” and said she doesn’t know how to take it. They then arrived at the scene and tried to resuscitate the boy.

“The baby was placed inside a bathtub and intentionally drowned by Raines-Hewes”, police said.

Two other grandchildren under Raines-Hewes’ care, a 1-year-old girl and a 6-year-old girl, were not harmed, police said.

A Solano County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman said the garment Raines-Hewes wore is thick to prevent tearing to use as a noose but that wearing the garment is not necessarily an indication of any suicide attempt.

A photo of Jesus, teddy bears, candles and flowers stood near the doorstep in the 1400 block of Jefferson Street, paying tribute to Richard Kite, identified by Fairfield police as the little boy who drowned on Tuesday morning inside the home.

The motive for killing her grandson was not immediately clear, but an investigation is underway. His sopping wet body was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators say she confessed to drowning him in the bathtub.

But her former sister-in-law, Lori Hewes of Fremont, told NBC Bay Area on Wednesday that the news about a woman she once called her “best friend” came out of the blue.

According to Mayoral, officials have been in contact with the boy’s mother, but they they are holding off on publicly releasing the name of the deceased child until they can confirm that the boy’s father has also been notified. She also asked for a ride somewhere, Vargas said, but suddenly disappeared back into the home.