It's been more than two months since 3-year-old Serenity Rose Robinson was killed in a tragic roadway accident that caused her to be ejected from a van in Fort Myers, Florida. But after a tireless investigation by police, an arrest has finally been made in what authorities have called a "senseless" death that didn't need to happen. The suspect? Her mother, 30-year-old Leslie Joe Zeagler, who allegedly failed to put Serenity in a car seat and was impaired before getting behind the wheel.
Fort Myers Police announced the arrest in a news release issued Monday.
"Zeagler was traveling eastbound on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd near Rockfill Road when she blacked out, left the roadway and struck several trees," noted a press release posted on the Fort Myers Police Department's website.
During the crash, Zeagler's out-of-control minivan rolled over, and Serenity was ejected from the vehicle.
The wounded toddler was rushed to Lee Memorial Hospital, where doctors attempted to save her, but it was already too late. Her injuries were critical, and the young girl died shortly afterward.
Zeagler and another passenger, identified as Carly Hartnett, were both treated and released with minor injuries.
An investigation by police soon uncovered the real reason Serenity's injuries were far more severe than might have been expected.
According to police, there was "no child restraint device in the vehicle as required by law," and "Serenity was not restrained at the time of the crash," which left her vulnerable to any kind of accident.
And that wasn't all.
Zeagler was also found to be impaired by "multiple controlled substances" while driving, which is what led her to black out behind the wheel.
“The senseless death of Serenity is one that certainly could have been avoided,” the police statement read. “The Fort Myers Police Department reminds motorists not to drive while impaired and certainly not with a restrained or unrestrained child in the car.”
"It made me upset when I seen that she didn't even have a car seat in there," crash witness Rob Sorenson told WINK News at the time.
According to experts, the use of a car seat has a considerable impact on crash outcomes.
Using a car seat lowers mortality risks by 71% in children under the age of 1, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"When compared to only using a seatbelt, car seats reduce the risk of injury by 54% in children 1-4 years old, and in children 4-8 years old, booster seats reduce the risk by 45%," the website read.
For Serenity, who was just 3 at the time of her death, it's likely being restrained in a car seat could have saved her life.
Her 30-year-old mother has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, DUI manslaughter, and driving with a suspended license.
Zeagler was also arrested shortly after the crash on a separate charge related to shop lifting, according to WINK.
Just after midnight Monday, she turned herself in to police and was charged for her role in the crash. The Cape Coral mother is being held without bond at the Lee County Jail in Fort Myers and had yet to enter a plea.
Meanwhile, a page on the funeral website Mullins Memorial noted only that little Serenity died February 17, and that a memorial for the toddler will be held at a later date.
