Police in Cape Girardeau are investigating a case of an 18-month-old baby with cocaine in her system. Authorities were called to Southeast Hospital after emergency room doctors discovered it was cocaine making the little girl sick.
The child's mother was arrested after authorities discovered all three of her children had the drug in their systems.
"It's not something you hear about all the time," said Patrolman Darin Hickey of the Cape Girardeau Police Department.
Hickey says officers are still trying to figure out if the children accidentally swallowed the cocaine or if it was somehow given to them. According to court papers, Brooke Alexia Whitener says she had a party at her house on New Year's Eve, yet she told police nobody was using drugs.
Whitener currently faces charges for three counts of child endangerment, but no drug charges at this time. Besides the 18 month old, an 11 year old and a 14 year old also tested positive for the drug.
"When we got the call they told us the baby was having seizures and had a fever," said Hickey. "We don't know how the child got the cocaine."
According to court papers, when social workers asked Whitener how her child might have come into contact with cocaine, she said while the baby was out in the yard she might have "found some on the ground and put it in her mouth."
Records show Whitener went on to tell authorities she had a get together for the holiday at her home on South Ellis while her children were home.
She admits to using drugs in the past, but says there were none at this party. According to court papers, she told police, "No, I would not let drugs lay around in my house in a candy dish or something."
"We feel it was not an intentional act it may have been one of those occurrences where the children were just somehow exposed to it," said Hickey.
Authorities decided to take all three children into protective custody after the incident with the baby. According to court records the two older children told police they saw other people at the home that night smoking "what they believed to be marijuana from a brown cigarette." They also told police the adults were drinking "grown up drinks." Later tests showed cocaine in the systems of those two children.
Heartland News went to the home on South Ellis Wednesday, but no one wanted to talk. Police say they see too many children too close to drugs.
"We want to follow up and make sure this wasn't a case of incidental contact and we want to make sure it happened in the home," said Hickey. "We want to do our best with this investigation and we want to make sure those children are safe."
Hickey says the baby is OK. The children are with family members. While the investigation continues, court papers indicate it looks like the children somehow came across the cocaine and ended up swallowing it.
Whitener bonded out of the Cape Girardeau County Jail on $20,000 bond.
The child's mother was arrested after authorities discovered all three of her children had the drug in their systems.
"It's not something you hear about all the time," said Patrolman Darin Hickey of the Cape Girardeau Police Department.
Hickey says officers are still trying to figure out if the children accidentally swallowed the cocaine or if it was somehow given to them. According to court papers, Brooke Alexia Whitener says she had a party at her house on New Year's Eve, yet she told police nobody was using drugs.
Whitener currently faces charges for three counts of child endangerment, but no drug charges at this time. Besides the 18 month old, an 11 year old and a 14 year old also tested positive for the drug.
"When we got the call they told us the baby was having seizures and had a fever," said Hickey. "We don't know how the child got the cocaine."
According to court papers, when social workers asked Whitener how her child might have come into contact with cocaine, she said while the baby was out in the yard she might have "found some on the ground and put it in her mouth."
Records show Whitener went on to tell authorities she had a get together for the holiday at her home on South Ellis while her children were home.
She admits to using drugs in the past, but says there were none at this party. According to court papers, she told police, "No, I would not let drugs lay around in my house in a candy dish or something."
"We feel it was not an intentional act it may have been one of those occurrences where the children were just somehow exposed to it," said Hickey.
Authorities decided to take all three children into protective custody after the incident with the baby. According to court records the two older children told police they saw other people at the home that night smoking "what they believed to be marijuana from a brown cigarette." They also told police the adults were drinking "grown up drinks." Later tests showed cocaine in the systems of those two children.
Heartland News went to the home on South Ellis Wednesday, but no one wanted to talk. Police say they see too many children too close to drugs.
"We want to follow up and make sure this wasn't a case of incidental contact and we want to make sure it happened in the home," said Hickey. "We want to do our best with this investigation and we want to make sure those children are safe."
Hickey says the baby is OK. The children are with family members. While the investigation continues, court papers indicate it looks like the children somehow came across the cocaine and ended up swallowing it.
Whitener bonded out of the Cape Girardeau County Jail on $20,000 bond.
