Court records show that a 24-year-old woman has been arrested and charged in connection with her 6-month-old baby girl’s death. The mother, later identified as Haley, who admitted to smoking meth 3 to 4 times a week, has been charged with child neglect manslaughter after her daughter was found dead in her home. The situation came to light when police were alerted by a family friend to the death of Haley’s infant daughter.
According to the investigation, Haley told police that a man came to her house that night with methamphetamine and that she smoked the drug in her bedroom around 9:30 p.m. with the door open and all three of her children at home. It was approximately 30 minutes later when she found her baby unresponsive. The arrest affidavit described the infant as ‘neglected and malnourished,’ with the child looking ‘pale and dehydrated, dressed in two onesies, wrapped in a a blanket, with a space heater running and the room’s door shut.’ Emergency responders informed the police that the temperature in the child’s room was 85 degrees, while a typical comfortable temperature ranges from 68 to 77°F.
Haley disclosed to the authorities that her daughter had been losing weight since Thanksgiving, acknowledging that she had not taken her for any medical check-ups since her birth. She told police she didn’t have a car and couldn’t get the girl to a hospital, but when detectives asked how she got groceries, she told them that friends would take her. Haley also admitted to law enforcement that she uses meth three to four times a week but had no answer to how she could regularly obtain drugs and could not get her daughter medical attention.
In a kitchen safe, concealed from view, officers discovered several items related to drug use, including pipes, grinders, and scales. Further compounding the tragedy, Child Protective Services’ evaluation of Haley’s two other children, boys aged 1 and 3, revealed that the younger boy tested positive for methamphetamine exposure. Following her arrest, Haley was arraigned with bail set at $500,000, reflecting the severity of the charges against her. Haley faces multiple charges, including child neglect manslaughter, two counts of wanton endangerment, three counts of first-degree criminal abuse of a child, and possession of drug paraphernalia. The case is scheduled for further court proceedings on February 14.
