Teen Parents Charged With Baby's Death After Cocaine Found In Feeding Bottles

The teen parents of a four-month-old child, who died of cocaine ingestion last month, have been arrested and charged with homicide. Police said toxicology reports showed the presence of cocaine in the child's body and in feeding bottles.

Newbury Sheriff’s Office said that Brady Lynden Wearn, 18, and Mary Catherine Bedenbaugh, 17, of South Carolina, have each been charged with homicide by child abuse and unlawful conduct toward a child.

In a statement published Wednesday, police said EMS and Rescue responded to Duckbill Road in the Prosperity section of Newberry County on May 2 for a 4-month-old baby not breathing and unresponsive.

The child was immediately rushed to Newberry Hospital but couldn’t be saved.

Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece ruled the infant’s death a homicide, WHDH reported. Based on the evidence collected from the scene, pathologists said the child died due to "sudden unexpected infant death associated with recent cocaine ingestion."

An investigation was launched soon after. The sheriff’s office said that toxicology reports showed the little boy had “measurable levels of cocaine in their body and additional testing indicated the drug was also found in feeding bottles.”

As part of the investigation, the parents were subjected to a drug test and they tested positive for cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana.

"These are very difficult and time-consuming cases that investigators have to sort through, and we have to wait for testing on items, which takes a few weeks," Sheriff Lee Foster was quoted by as saying by WHDH.

"This is exactly why we take drug enforcement so seriously. Drug use and abuse are not victimless crimes," he added.

The deceased infant’s parents are being held at the Newberry County Detention Center.

Last month, a couple in Florida was arrested after their 21-month-old son overdosed in January when he put a spoon with cocaine residue in his mouth.

Police were called to a home in Venice to assist a medical call involving an unconscious child who was not breathing. The child was given three doses of naloxone, the medication to reverse opioid overdoses following which he quickly regained consciousness.

Though the mother claimed the child found the spoon outside their home, investigation proved the poisoning occurred at home.