Her 5-month-old daughter died after being fed cocaine-tainted milk
The Associated Press
WEST BRANCH, Mich. - A woman accused of causing her infant daughter’s death by feeding her breast milk tainted with cocaine was sentenced Wednesday to nine months behind bars on a reduced charge.
Sara Shelby pleaded guilty last month to a charge of attempted manslaughter in the Aug. 21, 2005, death of 5-month-old Karie Lee Bowman.
She originally was charged with involuntary manslaughter, a felony that could have meant 15 years in prison, but she agreed to a plea deal in which she would terminate her parental rights to her other child, a 5-year-old girl.
Police said Shelby, 24, of West Branch, told them she had used cocaine two or three times the day before her daughter’s death.
A medical examiner ruled that the girl died of cocaine intoxication.
