Disabled boy drowns in bathtub; stepfather charged

MORROW, Ga. (AP) An Atlanta-area man has been charged with murder after his 11-year-old disabled stepson drowned in a bathtub.

Clayton County police spokeswoman Sgt. Ashanti Marbury tells news outlets that Michael D. Smith of Morrow placed the autistic and physically disabled boy in the bathtub Tuesday afternoon and left the bathroom to check on three other children in the home. When he came back, the boy was submerged in the water and dead.

Smith, who is a Clayton County public school teacher, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children. It is unclear whether Smith has an attorney.

Authorities have not released the name of the drowned boy.