BUCKS COUNTY, Va. – Authorities charged a Pennsylvania mother with criminal homicide after drugs in her breast milk allegedly caused the death of her 11-week-old baby in April.
Samantha Whitney Jones, 33, told detectives she was taking prescribed methadone for a painkiller addiction.
Recommended Videos
Jones woke up around 3 a.m. on April 2 to her crying baby, according to the criminal complaint.
She said she was too tired to make a bottle of formula, so she tried to breastfeed the baby.
The District Attorney's Office said an autopsy found the baby died from a combination of methadone, amphetamine and methamphetamine that was transmitted through Jones' breast milk.
Jones said she was taking the methadone prescription while she was pregnant.
She is being held on a $3 million bail after her initial arraignment Friday.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 23.