There are typically logical reasons for a court’s decision regarding family and custody matters. For one young mother in Georgia, the court had been provided with more than enough evidence demonstrating that she was not fit to care for her infant son. Unfortunately, in this child custody case, when the mother did not ultimately abide by the court’s ruling, the outcome proved fatal.
The woman gave birth to her son in July 2017. It had been determined at that time that a friend of the woman’s had been bringing illegal drugs to her during her labor. Consequently, the child was born addicted to opiates.
In Nov. 2017, the mother was arrested after she passed out in the driver’s seat of her vehicle, with her son incorrectly strapped in to a child seat in the back. She was then charged with child endangerment and driving under the influence of drugs. After this event, the court determined that custody of the woman’s son should be given to her mother — the child’s grandmother — with whom the mother resided. The infant’s mother was ordered not to be alone with him unsupervised.
Earlier this month, the baby’s mother apparently took him from his crib in one room and brought him to her bed in a separate room, where she allowed him to sleep face down in bed with her alone. Following this occurrence, the infant suffocated and is alleged to have been deceased for some time before authorities were notified. When child custody instructions are ordered by a court in Georgia, all parties involved are expected to follow the orders precisely. If one has questions regarding said orders, it is possible to seek advice from a family law professional.
Source: 11alive.com, “Mother charged in infant son’s death”, Tim Darnell, Dec. 23, 2017