7-Month-Old Had Meth Overdose From Breast Milk, Mother Charged

A 20-year-old mother was charged with child endangerment and aggravated furnishing of a scheduled drug after her 7-month-old child allegedly ingested methamphetamine. The incident took place in December in Bangor, Wales in the United Kingdom.

Local media reported the baby was found unconscious and was taken to a hospital. Detectives arrived at the Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center on Dec. 16 to investigate the incident. Bangor police Sgt. Wade Betters said they were informed about a baby overdosing on the drug — often referred to by the street name “crystal meth.”

The child regained consciousness after being treated by medical staff, police said.

Investigation revealed the mother, Alyssa Murch, 20, was responsible for the child's condition. She was charged with aggravated furnishing of a schedule W drug, a Class B felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a Class D misdemeanor. Murch is set to make her court appearance at the Penobscot Judicial Center on Feb. 20.

Other details about the child's medical condition remain unclear.

In a similar incident that took place in St. Loius, Missouri, a 14-month-old child was found unresponsive at his daycare and it was later revealed that the toddler had fentanyl and cocaine in his system. The father of the baby was charged with child endangerment.

In another incident in North Carolina, a father was charged with child endangerment after his 3-year-old son tested positive for methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana. Kerry David Greer was indicted in December by a grand jury in Henderson County. Deloris Yvonne Belcher, the child’s mother, was also indicted on an abandoning or endangering a child charge.

While there have been cases where the child survived the incident, not everyone turned out to be lucky. In a December incident, an 18-month-old girl died and it was later found that she had enough fentanyl in her system. The amount of the drug found in her was enough to kill several adults. The parents — Antonio Floyd, 28, and Shantanice Barksdale, 27 — faced murder charges in the incident that took place in Macomb County, Michigan.