Newborn dies after possibly ingesting drugs from breast milk, NC official says
Two Eastern North Carolina parents are charged in the death of their 6-week-old baby who may have been exposed to drugs through breast milk, officials say.
Scott Thomas, district attorney for Carteret County, said investigators are awaiting the infant’s toxicology report, but natural causes have been ruled out, WNCT and other news outlets reported on Monday.
“All the evidence we have right now shows the child would have ingested drugs that would have been introduced to the body through breastfeeding from the mother,” Thomas said, according to WCTI.
Now, the child’s parents — 20-year-old Mellony McIver and 26-year-old Zackery Phelps — are facing second-degree murder charges in the case, the Morehead City Police Department said in a Facebook post.
Social media users believed to be McIver and Phelps didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ requests for comment on Wednesday morning, and police didn’t list attorney information for them.
Investigators in Morehead City, near Atlantic Beach and roughly 150 miles southeast of Raleigh, told news outlets they responded to a “newborn in distress” and discovered the baby had died on July 7.
“They said the one-bedroom apartment where Zackery Phelps and Mellony McIver lived was littered with drugs that included methamphetamines and marijuana and showed other signs of extensive drug use,” WCTI reported.
“It just makes me feel sick to my stomach to feel that there was a young child next door that maybe I could (have) done something to help,” neighbor Amy Voorhees said, according to WITN.
The baby’s name wasn’t shared in news reports, and police said the investigation was ongoing as of Saturday. The district attorney didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about the case.
“People who are using and abusing drugs need to understand that in this district if you put yourself at risk that’s bad enough, but if you put other people especially and infant child at risk or death then there will be charges,” Thomas said, according to WITN.
McIver is facing a second-degree murder charge. Phelps is charged with second-degree murder without regard, “felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia,” WCTI reported.
Both were arrested, with court appearances reportedly scheduled for Aug. 13.
This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 11:15 AM with the headline "Newborn dies after possibly ingesting drugs from breast milk, NC official says."
