Infant Dies In Bath After Heroin-Addict Grandmother Passes Out
A four-month-old infant is dead and his grandmother has been deemed responsible by authorities after she reportedly passed out while under the influence of drugs. Busted Locals reports that 42-year-old Kathy Huff has been charged with felony child endangerment and involuntary manslaughter, while her family mourns the loss of the beloved child.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that the Ohio grandmother was under the influence of heroin while she was entrusted to care for the four-month-old baby. The October 3 incident ended in horror for this family when Huff’s husband returned home to find his wife unconscious in the bathtub. Their grandson was floating in the water and appeared gray in skin-tone. While trying to administer CPR on the four-month-old youngster, he dialed 911 frantically. Unfortunately, the infant could not be resuscitated.
#BREAKING: Kathy Huff’s charges upgraded to involuntary manslaughter by grand jury; she OD’d with grandson in tub; baby later died. @WCPO
— Evan Millward (@EvanMillward) October 22, 2015
@WCPO Why do stupid people like that get to have children, and I can’t? I don’t do drugs nor do I want to.
— Martha Kay Miller (@mimistoolate) October 18, 2015
I’ll gladly take Kathy huff out back and put her down https://t.co/XVAq82netP
— Zach (@wanes513) October 16, 2015
Huff had reportedly snorted $20 worth of heroin shortly before her grandson was dropped off at her Cleves home. While she was experiencing the effects of the drugs she had taken, she decided to give the baby a bath — which proved to be fatal mistake that has crushed the world of an entire family. The grandmother, who appears remorseful in her mugshot photo, is currently being held in jail on bond in the amount of $200,000. She reportedly has not been able to post the amount for her release. The Columbus Dispatch also reports that the family is currently trying to stick together while they mourn the loss of the four-month-old infant. Meanwhile, folks on social media are expressing immense anger toward the woman.
This is sadly not the first time a child has died in the care of someone under the influence of illicit drugs. This year a New York couple were charged in the death of their 13-month-old daughter after she reportedly died after ingesting both heroin and cocaine. Rachel Ball and Joshua Bennett were charged with second degree murder, manslaughter, and assault. Authorities believe that the couple purposely and knowingly gave the drugs to the infant.
They were also charged with tampering with evidence because they bathed the child and changed her diaper and clothes after she died. Also this year, a 14-month-old Ohio child ingested heroin and died. The horrified father of the deceased child admitted to the media that his partner — the child’s mother — had a heroin problem that had been a part of her life for many years. In September of this year, the parents of an 11-month-old baby were indicted in his death after he died of a heroin overdose in their home. At first authorities feared that the child died from SIDS, but toxicology results proved that something far worse had taken place. Not only had the boy ingested heroin, he had also ingested fentanyl.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that an approximate 4.2 million Americans over the age of 12 have used heroin at least once in their lives. Roughly 23 percent of those users become addicted to the dangerous drug. In the state of Ohio, heroin use has become a problem in recent years. In April, 2014, the state’s Governor’s Cabinet produced a report which claimed that heroin overdoses have increased by at least 366 percent in Ohio alone. While Kathy Huff’s individual case may not reflect this figure on its own, it does illustrate at least one horrible incident in the state of Ohio involving children.
[Photo: Cincinnati Police mugshot]
