A former America's Got Talent contestant now faces a murder charge in Indiana after her four-year-old nephew drowned in a backyard pool while allegedly left unsupervised for nine minutes. Prosecutors say the timeline and circumstances point to criminal neglect so severe it warrants the most serious charge available.

Tanyaradzwa "Tanya" Zhanje, 28, was arrested and charged with murder and neglect of a dependent resulting in death in connection with the June 2024 drowning of her nephew, Prince Zhanje, at a home in Indianapolis. The child was pulled from the pool unresponsive and later died, the Daily Mail reported.

Nine minutes in the water

Investigators allege that Zhanje left Prince alone in or near the backyard pool for approximately nine minutes. During that window, the four-year-old entered the water and drowned. Emergency responders arrived to find the child unresponsive. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The murder charge signals that prosecutors believe Zhanje's conduct rose beyond simple negligence. Under Indiana law, a murder charge in a child-neglect drowning case typically requires prosecutors to show that the defendant's actions or inaction demonstrated a knowing or intentional disregard for the child's life. The accompanying charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in death carries its own serious penalties.

Zhanje appeared on America's Got Talent as a contestant, though the specifics of her appearance, including what season or act she performed, were not detailed in available records. Her connection to the show drew immediate public attention to the case when the charges were announced.

A pattern of accountability failures

Cases involving caregivers charged after children die under their watch have drawn increasing scrutiny from prosecutors nationwide. The willingness to bring murder charges, rather than lesser negligence counts, reflects a broader shift in how district attorneys approach child fatalities where supervision failures are alleged to be egregious. In a recent Illinois case, a mother was charged with murder after the death of her two-year-old son under disturbing circumstances.

Prince Zhanje was just four years old. At that age, a child lacks the capacity to assess danger around water, making adult supervision not just advisable but essential. Pool drownings remain one of the leading causes of death for children under five in the United States, and prosecutors have shown less patience in recent years for adults who leave young children near water without protection.

The charging documents in the Zhanje case focus on the nine-minute window as the critical period. Investigators will need to establish precisely what Zhanje was doing during those minutes and whether she had any line of sight to the pool area. Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether the pool had fencing, a gate, or any barrier that might have prevented the child from entering the water.

Legal stakes and what comes next

If convicted of murder in Indiana, Zhanje faces a sentence of 45 to 65 years in prison. The neglect charge, classified as a Level 1 felony when it results in death, carries a sentencing range of 20 to 40 years. The charges can run consecutively, meaning Zhanje could theoretically face decades behind bars.

Zhanje's defense team has not yet made public statements regarding the charges. Investigators have not said whether Zhanje made any statements to police at the scene or during subsequent questioning. It remains unclear whether any other adults were present at the home when Prince drowned.

The case joins a growing list of high-profile prosecutions involving public figures or their family members facing serious criminal charges related to children. The arrest of a reality TV star's teenage son on aggravated charges in Georgia earlier this year underscored how celebrity status offers no shield from the justice system when children are harmed.

Community and family impact

Prince Zhanje's family has been left to grieve a child who should have been safe in a relative's care. The boy's parents entrusted him to his aunt, and prosecutors allege that trust was fatally betrayed by a failure as basic as watching a four-year-old near a pool.

Indianapolis authorities have not released additional details about the family's living arrangements or whether child protective services had any prior involvement with the household. Those facts may emerge as the case moves toward preliminary hearings.

Child drowning cases have prompted legislative action in several states, with laws requiring pool fencing, self-latching gates, and alarm systems. Indiana does not have a statewide residential pool barrier law, a gap that child safety advocates have long criticized. Whether that regulatory vacuum played any role in Prince's death remains an open question for investigators.

Tragically, cases involving young children found dead in water have become a recurring feature of the criminal docket. In South Carolina, parents of a nonverbal five-year-old were arrested after their child was discovered in a waterway, raising similar questions about supervision and accountability.

The prosecution's burden

To secure a murder conviction, prosecutors must prove more than carelessness. They will need to demonstrate that Zhanje's conduct reflected a conscious decision to disregard a known and substantial risk to Prince's life. The nine-minute timeline is central to that argument. Leaving a four-year-old alone near an accessible pool for that duration, prosecutors will likely argue, crosses the line from tragic accident into criminal conduct.

Defense attorneys in similar cases have argued that momentary lapses in supervision, while devastating in outcome, do not constitute the mental state required for murder. The distinction between a horrible mistake and a criminal act will be the central battleground at trial.

Zhanje is currently being held as the case proceeds through the Marion County court system. Her next court date has not been publicly announced. Investigators have not indicated whether additional charges are anticipated or whether any other individuals may face scrutiny in connection with Prince's death.

The ongoing trial of Lindsay Clancy has kept the national spotlight on cases where children die at the hands of those entrusted to protect them. Each new prosecution reinforces the same grim reality: the justice system is the last line of defense when the first line fails.

A four-year-old boy is dead, and the woman charged with keeping him safe now sits in a jail cell. Nine minutes is not a long time, unless you are a child alone in a pool.