SEARCY -- A woman charged with manslaughter in the death of a 4-month-old boy has pleaded innocent.
Dianna O'Bryan, 57, of Searcy entered the plea in a waiver of arraignment filed by her attorney in White County Circuit Court.
On Tuesday, Judge Robert Edwards set a Nov. 2 pretrial hearing for O'Bryan.
O'Bryan's husband, Jeffrey High, 54, also has been charged with manslaughter. He did not have an attorney Tuesday, so Edwards gave High 60 days to hire one and set another pretrial hearing for Nov. 1.
A preliminary autopsy found that the infant, Elbert Lee Barazza, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.07 percent when he died June 25 at the couple's Searcy apartment.
The autopsy also found that the infant died from "compressional asphyxia," or weight placed on his chest, and ethanol administration. Ethanol is used in the production of alcoholic beverages.
High told police that O'Bryan may have given the infant vodka in his milk -- an allegation she later admitted, according to affidavits filed in court.
The couple had been caring for the baby since they picked him up days earlier from his mother in Odessa, Texas. O'Bryan is the aunt of Elbert's mother.
State Desk on 09/09/2016