A North Augusta mother was charged with homicide by child abuse after her infant daughter died from fentanyl poisoning when the mother ingested drugs near her, authorities said.
Brittney M. Hamilton, 36, was arrested Monday on charges that she caused the death of her 6-month-old daughter, Mollie Jay Hamilton.
A warrant accuses the suspect of ingesting a quantity of meth and fentanyl within close proximity to Mollie, causing the victim to ingest small amount of fentanyl that caused her death on Oct. 27.
Hamilton was originally arrested in October for drug possession and released a week later.
An autopsy and toxicology report came back Monday, showing the child died from drug exposure and leading to the arrest of her mother for the felony charge.
On Oct. 27, North Augusta authorities were dispatched to the suspect’s home at 1953 Green Forest Drive for an unresponsive infant. Two officers found the baby girl on a table in the garage with a family member doing chest compressions. The victim appeared blue in the face and was unresponsive. She was pronounced dead later at the hospital.
Hamilton told police that she had laid the victim down for a nap on a bed in the residence. She said she went to check on Mollie before going to take a shower and returned to find her daughter lying face down on the bed in a position that was unusual.
She called her mother, Debra Markwalter, into the room to see the child. Her mother said Mollie appeared to be laying in a position that would make it hard for her to breath. Markwalter picked up the child and found her limp and turning blue in the face. The mother then started CPR and someone called for help.
The charge of homicide by child abuse accuses Hamilton of committing the offense of homicide by child abuse by “knowingly, willingly and with extreme indifference to human life” ingesting the drugs near her daughter. A warrant labels her charge as “murder/homicide by child abuse,” which carries a sentence of 20 years to life.
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Greg Rickabaugh is the Jail Report contributor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at greg.rickabaugh@theaugustapress.com
