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Mom Charged After Death Of Baby Blamed On Drugs In Her Breast Milk

PHILADELPHIA (CBS)  A Bucks County woman is facing charges after authorities say her 11-week-old baby died from a lethal combination of drugs transmitted through her breast milk.

The investigation began on April 2 when the child was found pale, with bloody mucous coming from his nose.

The child's father told police that he found the baby's mother, 30-year-old Samantha Whitney Jones, and their son in separate bedrooms around 6 a.m.

samantha whitney jones DA: Mother Charged After 11 Week Old Baby Dies From Drugs Transmitted Through Breast Milk

(credit: Bucks County District Attorney's Office)

When the baby started crying Jones asked her husband to prepare a bottle of formula, authorities say.

Jones says after her husband left for work, she fed the baby the formula and put him to sleep around 6:30 a.m.

An hour later, the baby was found pale, bleeding, prompting the mother to perform CPR. The child was later transported to an area hospital when he died around 8:30 a.m.

According to the Bucks County District's Attorney's Office, Jones told police she was she had been prescribed methadone because of an addiction to painkillers, that she had taken it during her pregnancy, and that she was taking it at the time of the baby's death.

According to charging documents, Jones says she had been breastfeeding the baby but had switched to formula three days earlier, saying the infant wasn't getting enough milk from breastfeeding.

On the morning the child died, Jones says the baby was crying around 3 a.m. and she tried to breastfeed him because she was too tired to go downstairs and prepare a bottle of formula, according to charging documents.

An autopsy found that the baby died from a combination of methadone, amphetamine and methamphetamine, allegedly transmitted through Jones' breast milk.

Jones is being charged with criminal homicide in connection with her son's death.

Her bail is set at $3 million cash. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 23.

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