A Minnesota man has been charged with the attempted murder of a 4-month-old baby girl after allegedly poisoning the infant.
Jeffrey Ryan Thomas, 23, is accused of feeding the infant anti-freeze or de-icing agent mixed in some baby formula which left her violently ill, according to court documents.
Police became aware of the 4-month-old infant on Jan. 20 after a pediatrician contacted them regarding concerns for the child, who came into their care and was severely ill. The pediatrician told police that they believed the baby was poisoned by ingesting ethylene glycol, a substance commonly found in anti-freeze and de-icing fluids, and it would have been likely it was provided by her caregivers due to the child’s age.
The baby girl was then airlifted from the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center’s emergency department to the Minneapolis Children’s Hospital’s intensive care unit for further treatment due to her critical condition. After further testing, the hospital confirmed that baby had ingested the suspected substance, reported the newspaper.
According to court documents, prior to being sent to the medical center, the baby girl was being cared for by Thomas and his wife, who is not the baby’s biological mother. Thomas told police that at 1 a.m. on Jan. 18, he fed the child a bottle and put her to sleep.
The baby woke up about an hour and a half later and vomited a large amount of liquid. Thomas subsequently got up, changed her clothing and bedding and placed her back on her bed.
The next time the baby girl was fed was at 4 a.m., but she did not eat. When she was fed again at 7 a.m., she only ate very little and vomited again.
She continued to be ill throughout the day and was taken to the medical center and eventually airlifted to the children’s hospital later on Jan. 18.
Fortunately, the baby girl recovered and was discharged from the intensive care unit around Jan. 24 and then from hospital on Feb. 9. She has been placed in foster care, reported the newspaper.
During the police investigation, Thomas and his wife told authorities that he did not have any anti-freeze in the home, but during a search, officers located a jug of anti-freeze in the basement of Thomas’ home.
Investigators from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension office also discovered that the bottle of formula most recently fed to the baby prior to her hospitalization contained baby formula and ethanol, reported the newspaper.
According to Duluth News Tribune, a bottle of unknown purple liquid was also found outside the home in the yard which after lab tests was found to contain ethanol.
Investigators also found text messages on Thomas’s and his wife’s cellphones that questioned the paternity of the baby and detailed the woman’s dislike of the baby, reported Duluth News Tribune, citing court documents.
Thomas is currently being held in the county’s jail on a $750,000 bond.
