Texas woman re-arrested in alleged attempted drowning of 2 children

DALLAS — Advocates and lawmakers are applauding the move by local law enforcement to re-arrest a North Texas woman accused of attempting to drown two children in a Euless swimming pool.

Elizabeth Wolf, 42, is accused of “making racial statements” before grabbing a 6-year-old boy and trying to drown his 3-year-old sister in May at the family’s apartment complex pool in the 2500 block of State Highway 360, police said last month.

Wolf, of Grand Prairie, was originally arrested on a public intoxication charge. The charges were raised to attempted capital murder and injury to a child and she was released from the Tarrant County jail on a $40,000. Her bond for the attempted capital murder charge was raised at a hearing Thursday to $1 million, leading to her re-arrest.

The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said the American Muslim community was “temporarily relieved.”

“We thank local and the federal law enforcement for the rearrest and the progress in the case investigation,” Shaimaa Zayan, Austin operations manager for the group, said in statement. “We also appreciate the potential social services that were discussed with the family last week as they navigate their life after this traumatic event.”

The group previously called on federal and local law enforcement to investigate the case as a hate crime. It said in its initial statement that Wolf approached the children’s mother, who is Palestinian and was wearing a hijab, about speaking Arabic before allegedly pulling the children into the pool. Wolf has been identified in court documents as white and Asian or Pacific Islander.

“Our community continues to suffer the trauma and harm caused by Mrs. Wolf’s actions, and we hope the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office prosecutes this individual to the fullest extent possible,” said Salman Bhojani, Texas Representative for District 92.

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