Babysitter Charged with Manslaughter After Child Drowns in Her Care

Ten months after Belizeans across the country mourned the tragic death of King Wade, who drowned in the South Creek Canal in Belize City, several charges have been handed to his caregiver at the time, fifty-six-year-old Jennifer Fitzgibbon. This morning, she appeared in court, where she was read the charges of manslaughter by negligence and child abandonment. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

A life taken too soon, that is the devastating story of six-year-old King Shakel Wade, whose body was found in the canal on South Creek Street nearly three hours after he went missing. His tragic death occurred in October, 2024 and now, ten months later, King’s babysitter Jennifer Fitzgibbon has been charged.

 

ACP Hilberto Romero, Head of Crime Investigation Branch 

“Reference the drowning incident that occurred the [fifteenth] of October 2024, we have arrested and charged Jennifer Fitzgibbon for abandonment of a child and a manslaughter by negligence.”

 

On the afternoon of King’s death, Fitzgibbon had left him sitting on a refrigerator at the back of her yard, away from the canal and had told the six-year-old to stay put while she tended to the younger children. Her attorney, Norman Rodriguez, details the charges.

 

Norman Rodriguez, Attorney-at-Law

“She was actually charged yesterday, the day of August 2025. She was detained and charged yesterday for, like you said, manslaughter out by negligence and for abandonment of child. And today she was brought before the court for her to be arraigned for those charges over those offenses and ultimately, she got bail upon an application and no objection by the prosecution fairly so on the consideration that she cooperated with the police.”

 

Magistrate Ludlow Black was leaning toward denying bail to Fitzgibbon, but in the end, he gave her the benefit of the doubt, with one strict condition: she’s not allowed to babysit while her case is still before the court. Her attorney, Rodriguez, argued that she’s not a flight risk and has been cooperative with police from the very beginning of the investigation.

 

Norman Rodriguez

“She was granted bail in the sum of five thousand dollars plus two shortage of two thousand five hundred each. And they learned magistrate imposed one condition, which is that she must not provide any babysitting or caregiving services while this matter progresses to the court. She’s to return to court on the ninth of October, 2025 for her disclosure. Then we will go through the process of preliminary inquiry and if the magistrate commits it at that point, then she will be tried at the High court.”

 

Attorney Rodriguez says his client, Fitzgibbon, never meant for things to go the way they did, and she’s deeply remorseful. Magistrate Ludlow Black took that into account but made it clear, if she accepts any babysitting jobs while her case is ongoing, she’ll be violating her bail conditions. Meanwhile, questions are being raised about the timing of the charges. We asked Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero why it took so long for them to be brought forward.

 

ACP Hilberto Romero

“A thorough investigation was carried out and file was sent to the DPP, who has sent the directives that she be charged.”

 

Fitzgibbons met bail this afternoon just after three p.m. Britney Gordon for News Five.