Mother Arrested After 3-Month-Old Child’s Death Tests Positive for Drugs
A Wisconsin mother has been arrested following the death of her three-month-old baby, who tested positive for drugs after being found stuck between her mother and a couch.
Tashae Goodman he was arrested on Sunday, May 17, and charged with reckless homicide.
Authorities learned of the boy’s death when Goodman, 31, called 911 the morning of March 22 after finding her child not breathing, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by Law & Crime. When he called, he allegedly told the transporters that he “slept on top” of the child on the sofa.
Paramedics alerted the home and performed rescue procedures on the infant. However, they could not revive him and he was pronounced dead at 4:29 am
The child died when he was between the cushion and the back of the couch, and Goodman allegedly told police that he “fell there” several times before.
Goodman added that the baby had been acting strange and crying without being held, which he did throughout the day and when he slept.
After Goodman fed the baby at 1 a.m. on March 22, she said she put her son to sleep on the couch and placed him between her and the back of the couch. He later woke up at 3:40 a.m. to find the boy “crumpled” between the pillow and the back of the sofa, adding that he was “bleeding from his nose and head.”
Later on, the child’s body was examined and it turned out that he was healthy with no signs of trauma, sickness or illness that could explain his death.
Meanwhile, toxicology results revealed that the baby bottle Goodman used for the last feeding was said to contain fentanyl. Tests also found that the boy had fentanyl, xylazine, heroin and oxycodone in his system when he died. Based on these findings, the cause of the child’s death was found to be mixed with drugs and the method was considered to be murder.
During the investigation, police searched jail cell phone records and found a conversation between Goodman and the child’s father. The father, who was incarcerated, had tried several times to call Goodman on March 20. He finally answered at 4:57 p.m., and the father accused him of being “high.” When police said Goodman’s speech was “incoherent,” his father allegedly said, “I can hear it in your loud voice.”
On the same day, Goodman reportedly did not show up to pick up her two children from daycare. When he spoke to the child’s father on March 20, he accused him of “dropping[ing] baby off at daycare so [she] it can be high.”
While speaking with detectives, Goodman allegedly said that the drugs found in her child’s system were being transferred “to the womb.” Police wrote in the complaint that the claim “defies logic, common sense and science.”
Goodman also denied regular drug use, although he did admit to using Percocet. It is said that he also said that the drugs found in the bottle were “residues” that were there because his house was not properly cleaned.
After an investigation, Goodman was charged with two counts of negligent homicide and child neglect. He is currently in the Milwaukee County Jail and is being held on a $250,000 cash bond.
It is not yet clear whether Goodman has filed a motion or retained legal counsel. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond Us Weeklyrequest for comment on the case.
If you or someone you know has a substance abuse problem, contact the National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
