A 36-year-old mother, Olivia Bithorn, was charged with manslaughter after her 18-month-old son, Luke Russell Jr., died in April from choking on unpopped popcorn kernels at her Long Island apartment.
Prosecutors allege that Bithorn was drinking vodka in the bathroom of her unit in Merrick when she gave the bag of popcorn kernels to her son and his 3-year-old sister. Police discovered an empty bottle of Tito’s vodka in the apartment.
Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly stated that the 3-year-old girl alerted Bithorn after her 18-month-old brother became unresponsive, finding him “blue and cold to the touch.” She also said: “They estimate, allegedly, he was dead for over an hour before 911 was called.”
Donnelly added: “Everyone in her life had basically written her off except her husband, who was … trying to make sure she had a place to live and was staying sober.”
