(WHDH) — A mother and father have been arrested in connection with the death of their 4-month-child after cocaine was found on the toddler’s feeding bottles, authorities said.
Brady Lynden Wearn, 18, and Mary Catherine Bedenbaugh, 17, both of South Carolina, have each been charged with homicide by child abuse and unlawful conduct toward a child, according to the Newbury Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responding to a report of an unresponsive toddler at a home on Duckbill Road in Newbury County on May 2 transported the young child to the hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.
During an investigation, toxicology reports showed the infant had measurable levels of cocaine in their body and additional testing indicated the drug was also found in feeding bottles, the sheriff’s office said.
Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece later ruled the manner of the infant’s death a homicide caused by “recent cocaine ingestion.”
“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 said. “This is exactly why we take drug enforcement so seriously. Drug use and abuse are not victimless crimes.”
Wearn and Bedenbaugh were taken into custody earlier this week. They are both being held at the Newberry County Detention Center pending a bond hearing.
An investigation remains under investigation.
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