The death of a 3-year-old Port Gibson child on Sept. 24 is being investigated as an apparent bathtub drowning, authorities said today.

Jaqunisha DeShay Smith, 711 Magnolia St., was found facedown in bath water after being left alone for about 5 minutes, said Port Gibson police Chief Calvin Jackson.

The official cause of death was awaiting the report from an autopsy performed at the Mississippi Crime Lab, said Claiborne County Coroner J.W. Mallett.

Ordering an autopsy is standard in cases of suspected drowning, he said. “That’s my protocol. Anything could have happened,” Mallett said. He did not know how long it would be before results were known.

Mallett said he received a call from Patient’s Choice Medical Center of Claiborne County around 9 that night day for a child who was not breathing, and he pronounced the toddler dead shortly after he arrived.

Bessie Smith, the child’s mother, told authorities she put the child in the bathtub and stepped outside for 5 minutes to speak with Donald Hedrick, her boyfriend who lives in the home. When she returned, she found the child face down in the water.

Hedrick drove Smith and the toddler to the hospital, Jackson said. The emergency physician told Smith the child had a high fever, the chief said.

“We will be talking with the physician and see if the baby might have been sick,” Jackson said. “Right now, we are working closely with the District Attorney’s Office and will investigate thoroughly. No arrests have been made.”

Jaqunisha is survived by her mother; her father, Jalen Smith of Port Gibson; a 5-year-old brother and 1-year-old sister; grandparents and other relatives.

Funeral services were Tuesday.