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Kariasa Thomas (pictured) was arrested and charged on Saturday with reckless injury to a child, after 3-year-old Kanyce Giddings (pictured below), who was in her care, drowned in a pool while she allegedly checked her Facebook postings, according to WFAA 8.

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Thomas and Giddings were reportedly best friends, with Thomas having the responsibility of watching Giddings’ four children, ages 3, 5, 6, and 7.

Thomas, who lives in a Dallas apartment complex, reportedly took Giddings’ children along with her own 16-year-old daughter and legally blind husband to a pool located within her complex, which had closed for the evening.

Thomas reportedly told authorities that she only allowed Kanyce to remain on the steps leading to the pool because she could not swim.

Kanyce was not fitted with a flotation device.

A police affidavit states that Thomas allegedly told officers that she used her phone to log on to her Facebook account and remained on the site for about 15 minutes. The 37-year-old woman also told investigators she played with her dog as well and did not check on the children.

When a complex security guard, who is also a Dallas policeman, approached Thomas to inform her that the pool was closed, she called out to the children and Kanyce did not respond. Thomas allegedly borrowed the guard’s flashlight to look for the toddler and literally stumbled upon the little girl when she stepped in to the pool to search for her.

Emergency CPR was performed on the child by the guard while the EMT and police were summoned.

Kanyce was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital facility.

Watch news coverage of this incident here:

Thomas is being held on a $25,000 bond and the current charge could be escalated to something more serious.

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