MERCHANT: COCAINE TOXICITY CAUSE OF BABY'S DEATH; MOTHER CHARGED

A Columbus woman has been charged with manslaughter after an autopsy
on her stillborn baby found it died from cocaine toxicity.

[Name redacted], 32, Columbus, was arrested Sunday at 1 p.m. and
charged with culpable negligent manslaughter after her baby was
stillborn July 30.

"Coroner Greg Merchant advised that he had suspicions of possible
illegal drug use as the cause of the stillbirth," Columbus Police
Chief J.D. Sanders said in a statement Monday.

An autopsy performed by state medical examiner Steve Hayne in Jackson
found the cause of death of the infant was cocaine toxicity.

Merchant notified the Columbus Police Department of the report, and
investigators there determined probable cause existed to arrest [Name
redacted]. "The baby was a full-term, healthy-looking baby," Merchant
said. "It was just dead. I became suspicious of the situation."

Merchant held the body and had an autopsy performed. Physically, the
baby was fine, Merchant said, but blood toxicology reports indicated
high levels of cocaine in its system. At that point, Merchant
contacted the police department for assistance.

Merchant couldn't say if the baby was exposed to the drug over long
periods of time or just once.

"The baby had a large amount of cocaine in it," Merchant said.
"That's a straight line to the baby. It had enough cocaine within its
system to be toxic."

Merchant said he wasn't at the hospital when [Name redacted]
delivered the baby, but her behavior later made him suspicious.
"There were some comments the mother had made," Merchant said. "I
just had a gut feeling something wasn't exactly right."

[Name redacted]'s bond was set at $40,000 in a Monday hearing in
municipal court. Her next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 7.