Following the tragic loss of her seven-week-old son on December 10, 2019, at Fort Hall, 27-year-old Keisha Cody was handed a five-year federal prison sentence for felony harm to a child, according to U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit’s announcement on Tuesday.
Court papers show that Cody admitted to carelessly endangering her child’s health by intentionally exposing her to methamphetamine, leading to malnutrition and ultimately her death.
The Fort Hall Reservation of the Shoshone‑Bannock Tribes sent an ambulance and the Fort Hall Police to Cody’s home on December 10, 2019, in response to a child’s non-breathing.
An overnight guest at the residence informed authorities that she awoke at 9 a.m. to the sound of Cody’s sobbing, explaining that her infant would not wake up. Despite efforts by emergency medical personnel to revive the seven-week-old boy, he was subsequently pronounced dead.
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The child’s high blood methamphetamine levels were a contributing factor to his malnutrition and mortality, according to the autopsy, which also found that starvation was the cause of death. During an interview with the FBI, Cody confessed to using methamphetamine around the youngster and exposing them to it in other ways.
“The tragic results of substance abuse and drug addiction are painfully demonstrated by this case,” Hurwit stated. “Our deepest sympathies are with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and all those who have responded to this tragic incident in their mourning over the loss of life.”
“The mother will now have to live with the loss of her innocent newborn for the rest of her life,” stated Shohini Sinha, a special agent in charge of the FBI in Salt Lake City. “Drug addiction has catastrophic and unforeseen repercussions, as this instance reveals. Our communities have been devastated by this epidemic, and the FBI and our allies are working tirelessly to address it.
The five-year jail term will be followed by three years of supervised release as reported by EastIdahoNews.
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