Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

More Crime & Courts Stories»

Ore. Mom Busted in Son's Drowning

Residents heard screams coming from chilly river

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted May 24, 2009 9:00 AM CDT

(Newser) – Authorities arrested an Oregon mother yesterday after local residents heard screams and found her children drifting in a chilly river, the AP reports. Amanda Jo Stott-Smith’s 7-year-old daughter is expected to survive, but her 4-year-old son could not be revived. “I can't imagine what it must be like to be a child in this cold river,” said one cop.

Stott-Smith, 31, who threatened to jump off the ninth floor of a parking garage before she was arrested, faces aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder charges.

[Images (5)]

[Quotes (1)]

Portland Police search on a dock near the Sellwood Bridge Saturday, May 23, 2009, in Portland, Ore. Portland police homicide detectives have launched an investigation after a 3-year-old boy and 7-year-old... (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Portland Police search on a dock near the Sellwood Bridge Saturday, May 23, 2009, in Portland, Ore. A 3-year-old boy and 7-year-old girl were found in the Willamette River. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Portland Police search on a dock near the Sellwood Bridge Saturday, May 23, 2009, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Portland Police search on a dock near the Sellwood Bridge Saturday, May 23, 2009, in Portland, Ore. A 3-year-old boy and 7-year-old girl were found in the Willamette River. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

As you look down into the darkness it's hard to see anything. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a child in this cold river. - Officer Greg Pashley

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Kids Have Been Short on Sleep for 100 Years

At least if official recommendations are any guide

(NEWSER) - If doctors' recommendations are accurate, then kids have been sleep-deprived for more than a century. Researchers reviewed dozens of sets of sleep guidelines dating from 1897 to 2009 and compared them to data on how much sleep kids actually have gotten over the years. They found that kids have consistently slept about 37 minutes less than experts suggested, the Wall Street Journal reports. They also discovered that the recommended amount shrunk by about 0.71 minutes each year. More»

To Curb Obesity, Give Babies Finger Food

Don't feed them pureed meals: study

(NEWSER) - Babies may face a lower risk of obesity if they feed themselves finger food when they're first learning to eat solids, a study suggests. Researchers found that babies who were spoon-fed pureed food developed more of a propensity for sweets than did their finger-fed counterparts; the kids who munched finger food, in a process known as "baby-led weaning," showed more interest in carbs like pasta and rice, AFP reports. More»

Missing Mushroom Pickers Turn Up

Daniel, Belinda, Michael Conne had been missing in Oregon for 6 days

(NEWSER) - A family of three that went missing while picking mushrooms on the Oregon coast has been found after an exhaustive six-day search, reports the Oregonian . Daniel and Belinda Conne, both 47, and their 25-year-old son, Michael, were spotted by a helicopter yesterday and airlifted out of a ravine with minor injuries including dehydration and frostbite. The Connes had been staying at a campsite and working odd jobs when they went missing Sunday with their dog. Authorities say they took shelter in a hollowed-out tree, but were unable to attract helicopters' attention until yesterday. More»

Geothermal Hope: Pump Water Into Volcano, Turn It Into Power

$43M project planned in central Oregon

(AP) - Geothermal energy developers plan to pump 24 million gallons of water into the side of a dormant volcano in central Oregon this summer to demonstrate new technology they hope will give a boost to a green energy sector that has yet to live up to its promise. They hope the water comes back to the surface fast enough and hot enough to create cheap, clean electricity that isn't dependent on sunny skies or stiff breezes. "We know the heat is there," says the president of one of the companies involved, Seattle's AltaRock Energy. "The big issue is can we circulate enough water through the system to make it economic." More»

Natalie Wood's Death Still an Accident

Re-opened investigation finds no evidence of foul play

(NEWSER) - After nearly two months of investigation , officials have come to the same conclusion they did decades ago: Natalie Wood's death was an accident. The LA County Sheriff's Department has found no new evidence to suggest otherwise since re-opening the case, the Los Angeles Times reports. "At this point, it is an accidental death. Nothing has been discovered to suggest changing that at this time," says the sheriff's chief of detectives. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Ore. Mom Busted in Son's Drowning