MIAMI COUNTY — A 31-year-old woman has been charged with reckless homicide after investigators said she used methamphetamine before her baby was found dead in a Miami County home.
Deputies with the Miami County Sheriff's Office responded to the residence on Dec. 6 after they received a call about an unresponsive infant, according to court documents.
First responders performed CPR on a 4-month-old infant, who medics transported to Dukes Hospital in Peru where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
An autopsy determined the baby's cause of death was "sudden unexplained infant death" with contributing factors that included sleeping in an unsafe bed with her mother "who was in an intoxicated state."
The baby’s mother told detectives she placed the infant in an adult bed at 11:30 p.m. and slept beside her. She reported the baby was still beside her and face down when she woke up about 12 hours later.
The mother told detectives she thought her baby was still asleep, so she made breakfast before checking on the child 45 minutes later. Court documents said the infant was still "face down, not breathing and presumed dead."
She later told detectives she took methamphetamine at approximately 5 p.m. Dec. 5, and smoked a bowl of marijuana before going to bed.
Officers at the scene collected drug paraphernalia in the bedroom of the woman's 15-month-old son.
A toxicology report on Jan. 29 determined the woman was under the influence of meth and marijuana at the time of her daughter’s death, court documents said.
The woman faces four charges, including neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony; reckless homicide, a Level 5 felony; neglect of a dependent, a Level 6 felony; and possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.
