HARRISBURG — A Harrisburg woman who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of children stemming from the 2016 drowning death of her 1-year-old son will serve up to six years in prison and a five-year probation term.
Kathryn Jacoby was sentenced in Dauphin County Court on Feb. 20, according the the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office. She pleaded guilty to the charges on Dec. 20, 2017.
Jacoby’s son, William, died on August 31, 2016. Police say they were called to Jacoby’s Derry Street home at 2:34 p.m. for the report that a child fell in the bathtub. The boy was transported to Harrisburg Hospital and later the Hershey Medical Center for treatment, but doctors were unable to revive him, police say.
Kathryn Jacoby was the sole caretaker of William Jacoby at the time of his death, police said. During her interview police she provided several inconsistent versions of the sequence of events that lead to her son’s death, police say.
During a later interview with police, Jacoby admitted to leaving the boy and his 2-year-old sister unattended in the bathtub for a period of time while she was on the phone downstairs. She also admitted to using marijuana and alcohol before she put the children in the tub, police say.
