An Alabama mother allegedly killed her special needs baby boy by putting a deadly concoction into the feeding tube he needed to survive, according to police.
Kaitlynn Dominick, of Daphne, was arrested and charged with manslaughter and aggravated child abuse on Tuesday.
Investigators determined that she allegedly fed her 17-month-old son Patrick, who suffered from an undisclosed chronic medical condition, a chemical mixture through his feeding tube on May 4 that led to his death the following morning, according to a press release from the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office.
The deadly substance was described as a combination of table salt and an undisclosed liquid substance, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by Fox 10.
BCSO Capt. Justin Correa explained that the mixture “may not have presented the way it did” in a healthy adult, but for a child with pre-existing medical troubles could have caused “a greater medical emergency.”
Dominick brought Patrick to USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital after he suffered a medical emergency allegedly brought on by the liquid he was fed, police said.
After his death, medical professionals flagged the situation as suspicious based on Patrick’s lab results.
Investigators claimed Dominick, 22, gave them conflicting stories about what happened that day.
She allegedly admitted to feeding her vulnerable son a liquid “leading to his death,” the BCSO said.
“I do believe that she did know that this would harm the child,” Baldwin County Chief District Attorney Assistant Teresa Heinz told Cleveland 19 News.
According to Patrick’s obituary, he “was full of joy and found magic in the smallest details of the world around him.”
His mother was released from custody on a $75,000 bond on Thursday, according to online records.
She is on GPS house arrest and cannot contact anyone under the age of 18. She is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on June 9.
Dominick did not immediately return requests for comment.
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