New Prosecutor On Board in Gordon Toddler Death Trial in Cumberland County

The new prosecutor was present for a Monday hearing in Cumberland County Circuit Court in the trial of Natasha Gordon of Neoga.

The 21-year-old Gordon is charged with involuntary manslaughter related to the death last August of Arianna McNeal. The one-year-old girl was left in a bathtub with a three-year-old girl while Gordon went out onto the porch to talk with someone and, when Gordon returned to check on the children, Arianna was face down in several inches of water in the tub. Police say it was about 50 feet from the porch to the bathtub.

Gordon attempted CPR on the infant while 911 was called, but the infant could not be revived either at the scene or at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center where she was taken by EMTs. Defense attorneys have indicated no water was found in Arianna's lungs.

The case will be prosecuted by Matthew Goetten of the States Attorney's Appellate Prosecutor Service. Cumberland County State's Attorney Jon Braden asked for appointment of a special prosecutor since his father, longtime Neoga area attorney Glenn Braden, is counsel for one of the parties in a separate civil case concerning the death.

Gordon's case is due back in court on May 9 for a pre-trial conference. No trial date has been set.