Pennsylvania mother of boy who drowned in Susquehanna River in 2021 sentenced

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A mother who was charged after her son drowned in the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County has been sentenced three years later.

Autumn Vossler, 26, of Potter County, was sentenced by County Judge Dennis Reinaker to spend at least six months in jail followed by six months on house arrest, the Lancaster County District Attorney confirmed.

Previously, Vossler pleaded no contest to four charges of endangering the welfare of children and involuntary manslaughter.

Vossler’s 5-year-old boy was playing near the river when he fell in on Aug. 29, 2021 , prompting an hours-long search where crews from across the area with multiple boats and a helicopter were utilized to find him.

An autopsy found that the boy died from freshwater drowning, the coroner’s office ruled.

There was a “lengthy investigation” that led Susquehanna Regional Police to charge Vossler over a year after the drowning on Dec. 29, 2022. Police said that she failed to supervise her children.

Court dockets show that in 2018, Vossler was charged with child endangerment and recklessly endangering another person stemming from an incident in Coudersport Borough.

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