A three-year-old child was hospitalised for months after ingesting methamphetamine that had been mixed in a candy bowl, while staying at their dad’s home in Missouri.
Missouri Department of Social Services were notified when the child was taken to hospital in April last year and subsequently tested positive for the drug.
An investigation was launched and law enforcement officers visited the home alongside officials from the MDSS Children’s Division and it was here they discovered that meth had been mixed inside a candy bowl which was kept within easy reach of a child’s arm.
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Speaking to Fox, Sergeant Lewis Pippin said: “Officers located a candy dish that had methamphetamine in it and candy around it, we believe that’s where the child may have gotten it.
“It’s an incredibly dangerous situation, and it had disastrous consequences.”
The child ended up in hospital for at least five months according to a probable cause statement filed in October 2021.
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At the time of the filing, the child was still undergoing treatment for kidney and liver issues as well as muscle deterioration dating back from the April 2021 incident.
The statement said: “lt should be noted that the child only stayed with [their father] for one night and began to show symptoms on the same night [the child] was with [their father].”
There was also a one-year-old at the property at the time, but fortunately they did not show any signs of having ingested drugs.
In a statement to the Independent, Sergeant Pippin said: “We unfortunately receive several calls a year for children being exposed to drugs in their homes.
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“[This case] is one of the more extreme cases we experience involving drugs in the home, as this one included a child ingesting the drugs they were exposed to.
"It’s an avoidable and unfortunate situation.”
Sergeant Pippin said he wasn’t aware of the child’s current condition but did confirm that they remained in the welfare of their mother.
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The father Malcolm Smith has been charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of possession of a controlled substance.
He is currently being held at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro with his arraignment scheduled for 3 August.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week
Claire Reid