Parents Of The Children Who Died In Tonto Basin, Indicted In Connection With Their Deaths

Two parents of the children, who drowned after they were swept away by floodwaters in Tonto Basin late last year, have been indicted by a grand jury in connection with the incident. Daniel and Lacey Rawlings were each indicted on three counts of reckless manslaughter and seven counts of child abuse. They are being charged in connection with the deaths of their two kids, five-year-old Colby and six-year-old Willa, along with a five-year-old cousin, after they drove through a flooded Tonto Creek on the day after Thanksgiving in 2019. A total of seven kids were in a military-style truck when it was swept away in the creek. The bodies of the three kids were found after a search that lasted days. The Gila County Sheriff’s Office says barricades were up warning drivers of the dangers. A new federal grant will go toward the construction of a new bridge over the creek at Tonto Basin. The couple pleaded not guilty in a virtual hearing Tuesday.