‘Intoxicated’ father accused of manslaughter after toddler drowns in hot tub while on vacation

A father was allegedly intoxicated when he fell asleep in a hot tub holding his daughter while on a family vacation in Florida, leading to the toddler’s death.

Reynard Hough, 33, of Washington, D.C., is facing manslaughter charges after the tragic incident on December 13 at a Four Corners Airbnb in Kissimmee.

According to a Osceola County Sheriff’s Office report viewed by WTFV, Hough had been drinking and taking drugs early Saturday morning when he grabbed his 20-month-old daughter – whose name has not been publicly released – from a bedroom and brought her into a hot tub.

Hough then fell asleep while holding the child, the sheriff’s office said. Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Kim Montes said the incident happened between 2 and 3 a.m.

“When he woke up, he noticed the child who was still in his arms was unresponsive,” Montes said.

Investigators said Hough saw that his daughter’s face had been submerged in the water and then rushed her to her mother and called 911, deputies said. At the time, the outside temperature was about 55 degrees.

The toddler was transported to an area hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

According to Osceola County Fire Rescue, crews responded to 89 drowning-related calls in 2021, 85 of which involved children. Captain Montes said many drownings in Osceola County involve visitors and families on vacation, WFTV reported.

“You’re on vacation. You’re in that mode that you don’t think anything can go wrong,” Montes warned.

Hough has been charged with child neglect with great bodily harm and aggravated manslaughter of a child. He appeared in court on Monday where he was visibly emotional, shaking his head and wiping his nose.

He is being held in jail without bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Friday.

Deputies said the child’s mother was not charged because she was asleep at the time of the incident.

The investigation remains ongoing with Montes saying: “Investigators are taking a deep dive into this and want to make sure they look at everything.”