Myrtle Beach mom arrested after newborn baby tests positive for cocaine, police say

A 22-year-old woman faces a child neglect charge after police say her newborn baby tested positive for cocaine.

Myrtle Beach police arrested Autumn Gayle Smith, of Myrtle Beach, on Thursday and charged her with unlawful neglect of a child, online records show.

Smith's arrest stems from an incident on Feb. 20, when the Department of Social Services reported to police that her baby, born Jan. 27, tested positive for cocaine, according to an incident report.

The report says Smith also tested positive for cocaine and that once she was told she was under investigation, she never returned to the hospital.

Smith's charge was entered into the National Crime Information Center database on Feb. 20, and she was arrested on the outstanding warrant about 2 p.m. Thursday, police said.

Authorities say the baby was taken into emergency protective custody when he tested positive for cocaine.

This story was originally published April 6, 2018 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Myrtle Beach mom arrested after newborn baby tests positive for cocaine, police say."