3-year-old's body pulled from Willamette River; girl, 7, saved

PORTLAND — The screams of two young children who landed in the cold Willamette River early Saturday led to a massive search and the arrest of their mother, now accused of killing her 4-year-old son and trying to kill her 7-year-old daughter.

Portland police said 31-year-old Amanda Jo Stott-Smith was taken into custody on the ninth floor of a downtown parking garage around 7 a.m. Saturday.

She threatened to jump off a ledge when officers arrived, said Detective Sgt. Rich Austria of the Portland Police Bureau.

Stott-Smith was facing aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder charges, Austria said.

Rescuers were unable to revive the boy, Eldon Jay Rebhan Smith, who drowned.

The girl remained in an area hospital Saturday night, Austria said, and was expected to survive.

"She's doing well," the detective said. "She has the will to live."

Police did not release her name Saturday night and said they had not yet questioned her about the incident.

Police said Stott-Smith's car, a blue 1991 Audi, was seen parked on the Sellwood Bridge before residents of the area heard the children's screams and a search was launched.

Officers were called to the bridge area around 1:20 a.m. after the screams were reported by residents.

Upon arrival, officers heard screams on the river but could not locate their source because of the darkness, said Officer Greg Pashley, a Portland Police Bureau spokesman.

A couple living in the area joined the search in their boat and found the children in the darkness nearly an hour after screams that moved downstream with the current were heard.

"Had they not been awake at one in the morning," Austria said, "we would investigating a case here with no children."

It was unclear whether the children were pushed or fell into the river, but Austria said it was certain they were on the Sellwood Bridge, one of the oldest bridges in the state.

Portland Fire Bureau and Multnomah County River Patrol boats also responded to the scene with suburban Milwaukie police. The U.S. Coast Guard sent a helicopter to assist in the search.

"As you look down into the darkness, it's hard to see anything," Pashley said.

"I can't imagine what it must be like to be a child in this cold river."

Austria said information from family members and a missing-persons report the father filed with Tualatin police helped authorities identify the children.