The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
Authorities in Florida arrested a 59-year-old woman after she allegedly tried to poison an infant she was babysitting with antifreeze.
The incident reportedly occurred in February at the woman’s home near Palm Beach. The alleged victim, an 11-month-old baby, had been described by his parents as healthy. According to reports, the babysitter texted the mother around 2:25 p.m. and said the child was tired and asking for a nap. His grandmother picked him up about an hour later, and she noticed he was unusually tired and unable to hold his head up. Shortly after, the baby began vomiting a clear, sticky, and foul-smelling substance. His mother took him to the hospital, where his condition worsened and he was placed on life support after suffering cardiac arrest. He was revived after 10 minutes of CPR and transferred through several hospitals for further treatment. Doctors initially thought the child was ill, but test results ruled out infection or genetic causes. Further testing showed the presence of ethylene glycol in his system, which is the toxic chemical found in antifreeze, causing them to believe he had been the victim of a poisoning.
Investigators learned that the child’s mother left two bottles of breast milk and some solid food with the babysitter, but the woman later claimed she fed the child from a one-ounce bottle the mother had not supplied. When questioned, the babysitter denied that anyone else had contact with the child or that he had been near the garage where antifreeze was stored. Police found two bottles of antifreeze in the home, and one of them was partially empty.