An Arkansas woman has been arrested on multiple charges, including manslaughter, after her baby was found with drugs in her system, authorities say.
Aretta Dawn McGarraugh, 34, of Paragould was also taken into custody on two counts of introduction of a controlled substance into the body of another person, records show.
According to an affidavit filed in Greene County District Court, officers with the Paragould Police Department responded around 2:30 a.m. April 12 in reference to an infant not breathing.
Police said the child was taken to Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould, where she was later pronounced dead. Greene County coroner Dick Pace was notified of the death around 3 a.m. that day.
The infant’s body was taken to the state Crime Laboratory for an autopsy, which later showed the presence of drugs in her system.
The affidavit listed the baby’s cause of death as “diazepam and hydrocodone toxicity complicating unsafe sleep environment.”
