Mom is arrested after one-month-old baby overdosed and died after being given children’s Tylenol so the mom could go leave to have sex and party for 37 hours
- A mother of two was arrested last week for abandoning her children, leading to one of their deaths
- The 24-year-old mother of two eventually admitted to dosing her children with Tylenol before going away for the weekend
A young mother has been charged with manslaughter and child abuse after she left her two young children alone and one of them overdosed on Tylenol.
Sara Lashae Harris, 24, was arrested last week after leaving her baby and 17-month-old toddler alone for 37 hours to have a sexual encounter and visit a nightclub.
Phoenix, Arizona police wrote in their arrest documents that they arrived at Harris’ home around 9:40 a.m. on July 30 after a one-month-old baby was reportedly unresponsive and not breathing.
Fire officials responded first and found the baby lying on a mattress in the living room of the home. Four minutes later the child was pronounced dead.
Later, at the scene, Harris told investigators that her newborn had been “fussy” the night before and that she had given the child food and a painkiller until he fell asleep.
Sara Lashae Harris, 24, was arrested last week on suspicion of manslaughter and child abuse after her child died when she left her alone for 37 hours after giving her a dose of Children’s Tylenol.
The young mother eventually admitted that she had given her children Tylenol before leaving them on Friday evening and not returning until Sunday morning
She then told officers she woke up the next morning and left for a few minutes before needing help getting back in because she didn’t have her keys.
Once back at her home, Harris said she saw a blanket over the baby’s face and they were unresponsive. She then called her parents, who called the police.
It is not clear what the condition of the 17-month-old baby was.
However, after reviewing the security camera footage, law enforcement officials discovered that Harris’ memory of the events was riddled with inaccuracies.
She had told police that she had gone to the corner market and returned an hour later, but the video footage did not corroborate that story.
Detectives looked through the apartment and discovered that the child had been lying on her back and that her skull had sunk in.
The baby’s body, they said, was also significantly colder than the temperature of the apartment, leading investigators to believe the child had been dead for much longer than the mother said.
A children’s bottle of Tylenol was also found at the scene, as well as a baby bottle filled with milk with a “pink tint” and “red liquid in the nipple of the bottle,” which appeared to be the drug.
The documents detailing Harris’ arrest show that surveillance footage allegedly showed the 24-year-old leaving her home on Friday evening and not returning until Sunday morning.
After obtaining a warrant to search her cell phone, detectives discovered that Harris had received money for a sexual encounter during the time she was gone.
Harris eventually admitted to police that she gave her children Tylenol and melatonin before abandoning them for a day and a half.
After last week’s arrest, the mother admitted to using drugs and alcohol while out of the house, but added that she became upset when she realized she had been away for “so long.”
Law enforcement documents say the child died from a combination of causes, including chlorpheniramine intoxication, an active ingredient in Children’s Tylenol.