Police in Pennsylvania were called to a house in Wiconisco Township around 7:30 p.m. on August 14, 2025. It’s the kind of call no law enforcement officer ever wants to take. When they arrived at the home on Center Street, they found 10-month-old Jovanna Allen unresponsive, and her mother, Sadie Marie Ressler, was hysterical. It appeared that little Jovanna drowned while in the bathtub with another toddler. Sadly, it seems the 32-year-old mother was intoxicated at the time of Jovanna’s death and passed out as the children played.
Detectives read Ressler her Miranda rights, and she told them she was the only adult with the children at the time of Jovanna’s death, according to court documents obtained by Law & Crime. The mother reportedly said she put the two children in the tub and sat “scrolling” on her phone while in the bathroom with them. She said she looked up at one point and saw her baby floating face down. Ressler said she had no memory of what happened after that.
During the interview, the mother denied using drugs or alcohol the night of her baby’s death. Still, police reportedly found an open container of Crown Royal Apple and burnt marijuana cigarettes in the “cluttered and unkempt” home, per the outlet.
While the mom was at the hospital a short time later, staff drew Ressler’s blood, and she had a blood alcohol content of 0.035. This was about 4 hours after the 911 call, and police noted they expected it to be much higher at the time of the drowning, Law & Crime reported. She also allegedly made suspicious searches on her phone while at the hospital, including, “Can you tell how much alcohol I drank from a blood test?” and “How long does alcohol stay in the blood?”
In an odd move, just days after her daughter’s death, Ressler began selling baby items on Facebook, including clothes, a stroller, and a crib, although the post has since been made private or deleted.
Her daughter’s obituary shared a sweet message about a life lost far too soon. “Jovanna brought immense pride and joy to her family. She was the perfect little girl. Being born premature, Jovanna overcame many obstacles and was thriving, just beginning to learn to crawl. Her beautiful blue eyes could light up any room,” the obituary reads.
During a second interview in October, Ressler allegedly admitted that she had fallen asleep while the children were in the bathtub.
“The defendant admitted to conduct that is negligent and reckless, placing the victims in the circumstance that ultimately caused one death and endangered the other in the same manner,” the complaint reads.
Police arrested Ressler on December 15. She faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of endangering the welfare of children. She’s due in court on January 7.
If she really was under the influence the night Jovanna died, hopefully, she can use this time in jail to sober up. No buzz is worth losing your baby.
