MITCHELL— A Mitchell woman faces a felony charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in death after her young child died from severe burn injuries and drowning in a bathtub on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
Amanda B. Lane, 32, of 206 W. Hancock Avenue, was arrested following an investigation by the Indiana State Police into the death of her juvenile daughter.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Indiana State Police Detective Michael Tummers, emergency responders were called to the Hancock Avenue residence around 12:05 p.m. on November 5 following a 911 call reporting an unresponsive child.
The child, 22-month-old Juliana L. Payton, was transported to the IU Health Emergency Room in Bedford, where she succumbed to her injuries. Court documents detail that the child suffered severe, extensive burns across her entire body, with peeling skin and fresh blistering visible to responding witnesses and officers. Detective Riley Nungester, who observed the child at the hospital, noted the victim appeared to have suffered severe burns over her entire body.
Investigating officers from the Indiana State Police, Mitchell Police Department, and Crime Scene Investigator Shelby Cox executed a search warrant at the residence. State Police noted that when officers tested the temperature of the water inside the bathtub where the child was found, it measured 118 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to sworn statements detailed in the affidavit:
On the morning of Nov. 5th, at approximately 8:00 a.m., the child’s father arrived home from a night shift at USG in Shoals. The father reported that the child was active, happy, and appearing normal in the living room while Lane was awake making coffee. The father changed clothes and left shortly before 9:00 a.m. to attend a scheduled court appearance in Lawrence County.
Around 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., while the father was away, a witness remained at the home to assist Lane. The witness reported that after the child needed a diaper change, Lane asked her to place the toddler in the bathtub to soak for a diaper rash. The witness stated she ran approximately one to two inches of warm water and washed the child. When the witness left the home at approximately 10:30 a.m., the child was playing in the tub, and the witness stated Lane was fully aware the child was in the water.
Phone records revealed a witness attempted to contact Lane via Facebook Messenger at 10:44 a.m. with no answer. At 11:24 a.m., Lane sent a message to the witness stating, “I can’t get her out, and she’s pissed.” When the witness offered to call someone to help, Lane replied, “it’s fine” and “Don’t worry about it,” later adding, “I got it.”
Around noon to 12:05 p.m., the father returned home after stopping for groceries following court. Upon entering, he found Lane sitting in a chair in a back room. When asked where the child was, Lane replied she was in the bathtub. The father rushed into the bathroom and discovered his daughter floating face down, unresponsive in the tub.
The father pulled the child from the water and ran to get help from a witness and neighbors next door at in the 200 block of West Hancock Avenue while calling 911. Neighbors and the witness attempted CPR until first responders arrived, observing water coming from the child’s mouth and severe, fresh burns on her legs and body.
Following interviews with witnesses and the execution of the search warrant, Detective Tummers requested charges be filed against Lane for neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 Felony under Indiana Code 35-46-1-4.
The case remains under official prosecution in Lawrence County Court.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
