SAN ANTONIO (TCD) — A couple faces multiple felony charges after allegedly injecting their baby with meth to treat her burn injuries last week.
According to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, on Friday, Nov. 3, a baby girl just over a year old sustained severe liquid burn injuries to her face, as well as her upper and lower body. Instead of seeking medical care, Salazar said the baby’s mother, 31-year-old Amanda Mann, called her partner, Dustin Lawrence, and asked him to bring home burn ointment.
Salazar alleges that Mann and Lawrence treated the baby with ointment and then injected her with meth to help her with the pain. The baby reportedly slept through the night. When she woke up, her parents pulled away the sheets, and parts of her skin allegedly peeled off.
According to Salazar, investigators believe the parents knew they would be in trouble, so they tried to keep the situation quiet as the baby continued to experience physical problems.
The infant reportedly struggled to breathe, so the parents used a bulb to extract mucus and attempted chest compressions. Salazar said the parents eventually called a family friend, who suggested they take the baby to the hospital, which they did on the night of Saturday, Nov. 4.
According to the Bexar Sheriff’s Office, Mann admitted the baby into the hospital, but she did not return. Salazar said officials eventually found her “milling around the parking lot” of the medical center.
Further investigation revealed the baby sustained the burns from boiling water on the stove, Salazar said. Officials do not know if the water spill was intentional or accidental.
The couple faces multiple felony charges. Salazar said in a statement, “Based on the level of outright torture this baby had to endure, I wish there was something else we could charge them with.”
As of Nov. 6, the baby is alive, and Salazar said he hopes the baby makes a full recovery. If that is not the case, the parents’ charges will be upgraded.
The sheriff added that the baby girl was failing to thrive at only 18 pounds and 24 inches at the hospital.
According to Salazar, the couple lived in a “filthy” RV with five other children, including a 6-year-old boy who reportedly tested positive for meth as well. The sheriff called it an “ugly, horrible” case.
Child Protective Services took custody of the children.
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