MOTHER JAILED, TODDLER'S AUTOPSY FINDS COCAINE

ARLINGTON -- A toddler who died after falling from the top of an
8-foot-high stairwell had traces of cocaine in his system, according to an
autopsy report.

Joshua Thorne had been around the illegal drug but did not ingest it, and
it did not contribute to his death, according to the Tarrant County Medical
Examiner's Office. Joshua died from a head injury in July just before his
second birthday.

His mother, Ebony Thorne, 24, was charged with endangering a child and
remained jailed Thursday with bail set at $20,000. If convicted, Thorne
faces 180 days to two years in a state jail.

Arlington police probably will not file new charges related to the cocaine,
said Christy Gilfour, a police spokeswoman.

Thorne's attorney, George Dewayne Huston, said he could not comment on the
autopsy report because he had not seen it but said his client has been
"completely devastated about what happened to her young son."

Thorne, who lost custody of her four children because of drug use and was
not allowed unsupervised visits, had taken Joshua from his grandmother's
apartment the previous week, authorities said.

She told police that she was awakened by a loud thump about 5 a.m. July 11
and that the toddler appeared to have slipped through the stairwell
railing. Thorne said she didn't take him to a hospital, despite his
bleeding nose and mouth, because she was afraid of getting in trouble,
according to police records.

Thorne placed a Popsicle to his head and put another in his mouth to calm
him, according to an arrest affidavit. Other relatives arrived several
hours later and called 911 about 12:45 p.m. Joshua was pronounced dead at
the scene about 10 minutes later.

Joshua's two siblings who were also living with their grandmother are now
in foster care. Thorne's oldest child was living with relatives of the
child's father and was not at the apartment.

The Thorne case is the latest high-profile incident involving children and
drugs.

A Richland Hills woman was arrested in July after her grandson was
hospitalized when he accidentally swallowed methamphetamines. Earlier this
year, three teens were arrested in Watauga after police found a video of
two of them showing a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old how to smoke marijuana.