Ian Perez was three years old. He had his whole life ahead of him. On the afternoon of May 18, he fell into a backyard swimming pool in Prairieville, Louisiana — and the one adult who was supposed to protect him did nothing for over 20 minutes.
Joann Johnson, 37, was running an unlicensed in-home daycare out of her home on Roy Rogers Road, about 20 miles southeast of Baton Rouge. That afternoon, Ian and another young child were playing near the backyard pool with no safety gear, no life jackets, and no adult watching them.
At some point, Ian fell in. And then he drowned.
What the surveillance camera captured next is almost impossible to comprehend. For approximately 20 minutes, little Ian lay unconscious in the water. Johnson did not check on the children. She did not look outside. She did not call for help.
“One of the hardest parts of watching that video is seeing little Ian struggle for his life for several minutes. And the second hardest part is seeing him in that pool about 20 minutes after he had drowned. For over 20 minutes, there was no supervision.” — Donovan Jackson, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office
Someone finally called 911 at around 3:50 p.m. Deputies and first responders rushed to the scene and attempted to revive the boy. He was airlifted to a hospital. He was later pronounced dead.
Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Johnson. She turned herself in on Wednesday and was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail. She now faces a charge of negligent homicide.
Authorities confirmed that the daycare Johnson was operating was never licensed — meaning Ian’s parents had no idea they were leaving their son in an unregulated home with no oversight, no safety standards, and apparently, no supervision.
“We understand that accidents happen,” said Sheriff’s spokesperson Donovan Jackson. “You may lose sight of them for a minute or two, maybe five minutes — but for over 20 minutes, that is a problem. That is clear negligence.”
Ian Perez deserved better. Every child left in someone else’s care deserves better. If you are using an in-home daycare, authorities urge you to verify it is properly licensed — before it is too late.
