A DRUG addict mum who loved her “little boy more than anything” killed her newborn with her toxic breast milk.
Samantha Jones’s 10-week-old baby died after ingesting a combination of methadone, methamphetamine and amphetamine.
The 31-year-old of Pennsylvania, US, was charged with homicide after an autopsy revealed her son had been fed on drugs-laced breast milk.
When her baby, identified as R.J in court papers, started crying at 3am one night, Jones was too tired to prepare a bottle for him, so she breastfed him instead, reports WHYY.
But upon waking hours later, she saw that R.J was extremely pale and unresponsive – as he had in fact passed away.
The baby suffered a cardiac arrest after drinking the toxic breast milk, and died on April 2, 2018.
Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub told a court last year: “Mrs Jones made a conscious choice to feed her baby breast milk, which she knew would be laced with illegal drugs such as amphetamine and methamphetamine, along with methadone.”
Jones said that she had been prescribed methadone to treat her addiction to painkillers.
Appearing in court on May 8 this year, she pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of her baby.
She admitted feeding him breast milk containing drugs after striking a plea deal with prosecutors, reported the Bucks County Courier Times.
Jones told the court: “I never wanted this to happen. I loved my little boy more than anything. I have to live with this every day.”
Judge Wallace Bateman said that jailing her would be pointless, as she was already suffering the true penalty of regret and grief.
He sentenced her to time served, plus 36 months’ probation.
Jones was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, with an emphasis on helping mums.
The judge told the court that he hoped the sentence would prompt other drug-addicted parents to seek help.
He added that had Jones reached out, her baby’s tragic death could have been avoided.
