Prosecutors say the 7-year-old was hospitalized with hypothermia and other injuries.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Buffalo mother and her husband were arraigned on a 15-count indictment accusing them of nearly killing a 7-year-old boy by forcing him into a cold bath and holding him underwater, authorities said. The child was found unresponsive late Dec. 11, 2025, and spent eight days in the hospital.
In court this week, Jacklyn J. Balabis, 26, and Parris D. Woods, 24, each pleaded not guilty and were ordered held without bail while the case moves toward a pretrial conference scheduled for March 5. The indictment includes violent felony assault counts and alleges repeated punishment that prosecutors say caused serious injuries. A third defendant is also charged in the investigation.
Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane said the case centers on a 911 call made at about 10:47 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, from a residence on the 300 block of Parkdale Avenue on Buffalo’s West Side. Firefighters, police officers and AMR paramedics responded after a report of a child found unresponsive. The boy was taken by ambulance to Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, where he was treated for hypothermia and other injuries, prosecutors said. Keane later described the child’s survival as “a remarkable recovery,” adding in a public briefing that investigators did not expect the boy to survive the first few days.
Balabis and Woods are charged with two counts of first-degree assault, six counts of attempted first-degree assault, six counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors allege the pair acted together and used water “as a dangerous instrument,” forcing the child to take a cold bath and holding him underwater as punishment. The indictment also alleges a broader pattern of punishment that included physical abuse, withholding food, forced exercise and cold showers, according to the district attorney’s office. Temporary orders of protection were issued in the case.
Investigators have not publicly detailed how long the alleged abuse lasted or how many times the child was submerged, and authorities have not released medical specifics beyond the reported hypothermia and injuries. Keane said the allegations involve “physical abuse and the deliberate deprivation of basic needs.” He said the case demands accountability and that his office plans to prosecute “to the fullest extent of the law.” Defense attorneys did not make extended statements in court, and the court record available this week listed no trial date.
The case has also drawn attention to what neighbors say they noticed before police made arrests. A local television report described prior calls for service to the same address, including a report of screaming in November along with other incidents logged as domestic trouble and ambulance calls. A neighbor told reporters she had heard angry yelling from the residence and said the allegations were heartbreaking. Authorities have not said whether earlier calls were connected to the criminal case or whether any additional charges could follow.
Three younger children who lived in the home were placed in foster care after the Dec. 11 emergency response, according to the same report. Child welfare officials have not released details about the children because of privacy laws, but the placement indicates the broader family situation is now being handled through both the criminal courts and the child protection system. The district attorney’s office credited multiple agencies for assisting in the investigation, including Buffalo police and fire personnel, AMR paramedics, hospital staff and a local child advocacy center.
Prosecutors said a third defendant, Cassandra Baughman, 20, of Buffalo, was indicted for her alleged involvement in an assault involving the same child on Dec. 11. Baughman faces one count of first-degree assault and one count of first-degree reckless endangerment, and her case has proceeded on a separate track with a court appearance scheduled in early February. Authorities have not described Baughman’s relationship to the defendants or the child beyond the allegation that she participated in the incident on the day the boy was hospitalized.
Balabis and Woods are expected back in state Supreme Court on March 5 for a pretrial conference, the next public milestone in a case that prosecutors say involves extreme harm to a child in their care. The charges carry the possibility of lengthy prison terms if the defendants are convicted. For now, the couple remains jailed without bail as the investigation and court process continue.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 8, 2026.