A 5-year-old-Kansas city girl might face murder charges in the recent drowning of a18-month-old boy in a bathtub, police said on Thursday.

The girl told social workers that she held Jermane Johnson Jr. under water to stop him crying. She was left with other children in the care of a teenager, media reports said.

Spokesman Darin Snapp said on Thursday that Kansas City police are waiting for a medical examiner's report on how the 18-month-old died, but they have investigated the death as a homicide, Reuters reported.

Snapp said Johnson was in a Kansas City house on June 3 with other children. The 16-year-old girl who was supposed to be looking after them fell asleep.

Through interviews, it was learned that the 5-year-old girl got irritated with Johnson. She said she got angry because he would not stop crying and she held him under the water until he stopped crying, Snapp said.

According to police, the case is raising legal questions about how a court could proceed with a case against such a young suspect.

I've been in law enforcement for 20 years and it's the youngest suspect I can remember, Snapp said. It's extremely rare.

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