Cocaine In Breast Milk Caused Death, Prosecutors Say
from NBC5, Michigan
WEST BRANCH, Mich. — A Michigan woman is charged with involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors say her 5-month-old daughter died from drinking breast milk containing cocaine.
Sara Shelby was arraigned Thursday. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison. Prosecutors claim Shelby used cocaine and the drug was passed on to the baby through her breast milk.Shelby’s lawyer said that he and his client disagree with the prosecution’s theory about what caused baby’s death last year.
Initially, the cause of the baby’s death was thought to be sudden infant death syndrome.The medical examiner sent samples of the infant’s blood to a laboratory for routine analysis, but because no foul play was suspected, the samples weren’t tested until recently.