Maryland mom, grandmother charged after 9-month-old baby dies from drug overdose, officials say
by Michelle Ewing, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
ORCHARD BEACH, Md. -
A Maryland mom and grandmother are facing multiple charges after a 9-month-old Orchard Beach boy died from a drug overdose in July, authorities said.
According to WJZ-TV, Alexus Lorraine Taylor, 17, and her mother, Laurie Ann Taylor, 43, were arrested Thursday on manslaughter, child abuse and reckless endangerment charges in the death of Alexus Taylor’s infant son.
On July 27, Anne Arundel County emergency crews responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive baby at an Orchard Beach home, WJZ reported. They rushed the child, Niyear, to a nearby hospital, and doctors pronounced him dead, authorities said.
An autopsy later revealed that the baby had ingested heroin and fentanyl, WJLA-TV reported.
Investigators learned that Laurie Taylor, Alexus Taylor and Laurie’s other daughter had gone to Baltimore to purchase heroin capsules July 26, the news outlets reported. Niyear was in the car during the trip, authorities said.
After the group returned to their house, they couldn’t find one of the capsules, authorities said. Laurie and Alexus Taylor then went out again to buy more drugs, according to WJZ. They returned to find Niyear wheezing, investigators said.
Although Laurie Taylor said “she questioned whether or not the infant had ingested the heroin capsule,” the pair “decided to take a ‘wait and see’ approach,” police said, according to WJLA. The mother and grandmother, who co-slept with Niyear that night, awoke to find the boy unresponsive, officials said.