(NationalUSNews.com) – According to authorities from San Antonio, Texas, a couple injected their newborn infant with methamphetamine in a shocking case of child abuse that’s making national headlines. According to police, Amanda Mann and Dustin Michael Lawrence abused their daughter by injecting her with the drug.
Authorities are also investigating an incident in which the child suffered severe burns from boiling water, which Mann and Lawrence failed to report for over 24 hours. Police want to know if the burns resulted from intentional abuse or from negligence. Upon taking the child to the hospital for burn treatments, the couple abandoned her. Hospital staff performed a variety of tests on the infant, who tested positive for methamphetamine exposure.
Police claim the couple injected the infant with drugs to alleviate the pain from the severe burns before seeking medical treatment. The child is also severely malnourished, weighing only 18 pounds. Hospital staff also discovered approximately 18 different syringe marks across the child’s body, indicating continuous exposure to drugs by her parents.
The child is currently in critical condition, and it’s uncertain if she’ll survive. Hospital staff are working diligently to provide life-saving care to the ailing infant. Following the tests by hospital staff, authorities arrested Mann and Lawrence for a variety of charges. The couple currently faces charges of child endangerment and abandoning a child, as well as injury to a child. The two are held in jail on a $450,000 bond each and are unlikely to secure release before trial.
Authorities are also actively investigating the couple’s history with the unnamed infant and confirmed that future charges against the couple aren’t out of the question. Sheriff Javier Salazar commented on the horrific crime, claiming he wishes there “was more we could charge them with” while referring to the couple accused of abuse.
Following the incident, police found other children living with Mann and Lawrence, including another child who tested positive for methamphetamine. Authorities placed the children in the care of Child Protective Services and will likely upgrade the charges against the couple in the coming weeks.
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