A Texas couple was arrested after injecting their 1-year-old daughter with methamphetamine at least 14 to 18 times to soothe the child’s excruciating burns after the child was scalded by scalding liquid.
Amanda Mann, 31, and Dustin Michael Lawrence, 30, were charged with child abuse, endangering a child creating risk of bodily harm and related offenses, police said, according to the San Antonio Express.
The couple injected their child with the deadly drug and applied burn ointment to his skin instead of seeking medical attention as boiling liquid from the stove spilled onto her face and body, authorities say.
The burns that covered her face and upper and lower body were so severe that some of her skin came off. The allegations include that the toddler had 14 to 18 syringe marks on his skin, WSBT reported.
Both Mann and Lawrence were arrested Sunday after leaving their baby at the hospital. They are currently being held at the Bexar County Jail and their bond has been set at $450,000.
Pictured: Amanda Mann, 31, was charged with child abuse, endangering a child creating risk of bodily harm and related offenses, police said
Pictured: Dustin Michael Lawrence, 30, was charged with abuse endangering a child, endangering a child creating risk of bodily harm and related offenses, officials said
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said during a news conference Monday: “Given the level of torture this baby endured, I wish there was something we could charge her with.”
The child’s exact condition remains unclear. Doctors found that the child suffered burns to 17 percent of his body.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said during a news conference Monday that the couple has six children – a 2-year-old, a 6-year-old, an 8-year-old and 2-month-old twins.
He pointed out that the newborns were born at home without medical assistance in a dirty mobile home where they live.
Sheriff Salazar gave a grotesque account of what happened Saturday morning when the couple pulled the sheets off their baby and saw the horror.
“Her skin was peeling off and sticking to the sheets,” Salazar revealed.
Instead of taking their child to the hospital, the couple continued to treat the child with burn ointment, the sheriff said. As her condition worsened and she began to have difficulty breathing, the two performed chest compressions.
It took a friend to convince Mann and Lawrence to take her to a hospital, where they did before abandoning her.
“My assessment is that these people knew they were going to be in big trouble, so they decided to keep it a secret,” Salazar said.
“Given the level of torture this baby endured, I wish there was something we could charge them with.”
However, if the child does not survive, the situation changes.
The couple were apparently living in a mobile home in dirty, squalid conditions with their six children under the age of eight
The mother now faces a number of charges and is being held on $450,000 bail
There are also serious allegations against the father since the couple was taken into custody on Sunday
Officers learned of the horrific abuse when they went to the hospital on Sunday. The sheriff said officers had difficulty finding the mother, but she was eventually found in the hospital parking lot.
Another child of the couple tested positive for meth, a report said.
One of the neighbors reported an incident to police when he saw one of his young children running over the fence unattended outside.
Child Protective Services investigators have been looking into the family since 2020, but no legal action has been taken, WSBT reported.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said the state has custody of all children involved, but could not confirm any additional involvement with the family.