Maryland County, Liberia – May 25, 2025 – A 49-year-old pastor, Rev. Lemeo G. Ivy, has been arrested and charged with negligent homicide following the tragic drowning of a two-year-old child in an abandoned septic tank pit on Saturday morning, May 24. The incident occurred in the New Harper Community, Jacksonville Township, Maryland County.
According to a police charge sheet issued on the same day, Rev. Ivy, a resident of Pleebo Mission Town, Zone #1, and the newly assigned pastor of the Jasper Grant United Methodist Church, was taken into custody after Chief Inspector Daniel Nyemah reported that a toddler had fallen into a water-filled pit. The child was rushed to the James Jenkins Dossen Referral Hospital in Harper City, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The victim, identified as Erasmus Doe, had reportedly followed friends into the dining room while his mother, Lucy Hne, was preparing his bath. His grandmother, 41-year-old Beatrice Toe, informed investigators that she was ill and resting in bed at the time. The child’s absence was only noticed when it was time to bathe him. During a frantic search around the home, his slippers were discovered floating on the surface of the water inside the open pit, which had been left uncovered in the yard.
The police investigation revealed that the pit, intended for use as a septic tank, had been dug by Rev. Ivy but was left unsecured. During questioning, Rev. Ivy admitted that he had not taken safety precautions around the unfinished site.
Superintendent Frederic T. Smith Jr., who led the investigation at the scene, confirmed that the incident was a result of negligence. Rev. Ivy has been formally charged with negligent homicide and is expected to appear in court on Monday, May 26, 2025.
This tragic incident marks the second drowning of a child in an abandoned pit in Maryland County this month. Earlier, on May 7, a similar case occurred in Pleebo City, Zone 4, where a two-year-old boy, Theo Elliot, was found dead in another open septic tank. That pit, located on a school compound, had been left incomplete since August 2024 due to a lack of funds. School principal Rev. Sylvester Chea admitted that while students had been warned to stay away, the wider community had not been adequately informed of the hazard.
These repeated tragedies have sparked public outcry over safety negligence and poor community awareness regarding open construction sites. Local leaders and law enforcement officials are now urging property owners and institutions to take urgent steps to secure such sites to prevent further loss of life.
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