A Mississippi mother faces accusations of creating a suicide pact with her young daughter. After her 10-year-old ingested the pills, she did not go through with the agreement, according to Ocean Springs Deputy Chief of Police Steven Dye in a statement.
Ocean Springs police have arrested 37-year-old Brittney Leigh Hensley, charging her with felony child abuse resulting in serious bodily harm, as indicated by her online booking record. On Tuesday, October 29, she was arrested at the Jackson County Adult Detention Center in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and is currently being held on a bond of $500,000.
Sources indicate that the case has yet to reach a grand jury.
Authorities were alerted to a child overdose incident at a Studio 6 Motel in Ocean Springs at approximately 6:25 p.m. on July 6, as confirmed by Police Chief Ryan Lemaire. A 10-year-old girl, whose identity remains undisclosed, was found unresponsive by the police upon their arrival.
Officers found multiple unidentified capsules and empty prescription medication bottles in a green backpack close to the child inside the motel room, as reported by Lemaire. Hensley was reportedly given the medications.
Both the mother and child were taken by ambulance to Ocean Springs Hospital. There, doctors intubated them, according to the chief. The daughter was later airlifted to USA Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Alabama for additional treatment and has survived.
Authorities discovered that Hensley and her daughter had entered into a “suicide pact,” with both reportedly consenting to take the medication, according to Lemaire. The deputy chief of police reports that Hensley told investigators she had taken pills, detailing the specific amount and the time frame of her consumption.
The specific bloodwork results are still pending, but Dye indicates that her statements do not align with what was discovered in her system.
According to initial findings, Dye indicates that investigators think the mother chose not to fulfill her part of the suicide agreement.
Authorities report that Hensley fled to Alabama, a place where she previously resided and has family connections, as the case against her developed. On October 14, a post on Facebook by the Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers announced that a mother is being sought in relation to a criminal child abuse charge linked to the poisoning of a minor.
A warrant for her arrest was subsequently issued by authorities. Huntsville police made an arrest on October 15 in Alabama.
She was subsequently sent back to Mississippi. As of October 31, there has been no indictment against her, and it remains uncertain whether Hensley has secured legal representation.
Lemaire reports that the 10-year-old is currently under the care of Mississippi’s Child Protective Services.