JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — A Jacksonville woman has been arrested following an investigation into the death of a 16-month-old boy last December, according to the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to a 911 call around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, reporting a missing child at a home on Old Timber Road. Upon arrival, deputies found the child unconscious, submerged in water inside a container on the front porch. Emergency personnel began lifesaving measures, and the child was transported to Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, where he was later pronounced dead.
Arrest warrants allege the child’s mother, 30-year-old Elizabeth Marie Holderness, showed reckless disregard for human life by ingesting an illegal substance in a separate room for an extended period while the child was in her care.
Holderness turned herself in to the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 5, 2026, and has been charged with felony involuntary manslaughter, felony negligent child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, and six misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. She was granted a $75,000 unsecured bond during her first court appearance and was released later that day.
