A Fort Smith woman was arrested Monday on charges of second-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a minor in connection with the death of her 10-month-old son, authorities said.
On Dec. 8, 2017, first responders found Kinyata Nichols, who was intoxicated, and her child, who was not responsive, at an apartment complex in Fort Smith, the city's Police Department wrote on Facebook.
The 10-month-old infant was airlifted to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock and placed on life support, police said, and he died a few days later.
An autopsy by the state Crime Lab revealed that the child died from “cranio-cerebral trauma,” the department wrote on Facebook. The child was malnourished and had methamphetamine in his system, authorities said.
Nichols was arrested in the 1100 block of North 32nd St. and taken in for questioning, police said. She was being held in the Sebastian County jail on Monday afternoon, records show.
Nichols is set to appear in Sebastian County Circuit Court at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
