Aiken County authorities have charged a Graniteville woman with homicide by child abuse after autopsy results showed her unborn baby died from exposure to meth.
Laquanda Lee, 27, was arrested Thursday and held on the murder charge, which carries a possible sentence of 20 years to life imprisonment.
Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables said his office was called to Aiken Regional Medical Centers on Nov. 24 for the death of a 39-week intrauterine fetal demise, a medical term that means the baby has passed away in the womb before birth. It typically occurs after the 20th week of pregnancy.
Physicians pronounced the child dead. The child, identified as Kyrie Venable, was autopsied in Newberry and the final manner of death was determined to be homicide due to exposure to methamphetamine, the coroner said Friday.
The Coroner’s Office, Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are continuing with the investigation.
