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Couple charged with neglect after toddler drowns in Davenport pool

DAVENPORT, Fla. — A Davenport mother and her fiancé have been charged with child neglect after the woman's 2-year-old daughter drowned and was found dead in a backyard swimming pool by a family friend earlier this summer.

Investigators ruled the Viela Evans' death an accident, but authorities said her mother, Cheyenne Evans, and her fiancé, Antonio Ortiz, neglected to check on the child for 14 hours.

The couple put Viela to bed about 10 p.m. on July 29 and failed to check on her the next morning, authorities said. A family friend then spotted the girl's body in the pool about noon the next day.

"I just woke up. I live with my friend and her fiancé and the baby, I guess drowned or something," the friend told 911 dispatchers. "I don't know what's going on."

Investigators said the length of time the toddler was left unsupervised is the reason charges were filed.

Detectives said they also discovered the back door was left unlocked and the alarm was disabled, allowing the curious toddler to fall into the pool.

Reports show Ortiz attempted to perform CPR on the girl. He and Evans are being held in the Volusia County Jail.  They'll be taken back to Polk County to face possible prison time.

Viela was a happy child who loved to sing and go to the beach, family members said.