Booking records show Rose Rej was cited for child abuse and released from custody.
A grandmother is facing child abuse charges after she accidentally bottle-fed methadone to her 14-month-old grandson, nearly killing him, authorities in Nebraska said.
Rose Rej, 48, who was visiting relatives in Lincoln, Nebraska, was storing liquid methadone in baby bottles inside the apartment, police told The Washington Post. When the baby started to cry in the early hours Tuesday morning, police said, Rej "grabbed the wrong bottle," filled it with milk and fed him.
Nearly seven hours later, police said, the boy's parents found him "unresponsive, in respiratory distress." He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he responded to treatment.
"It wasn't until the child was found in distress that [Rej] realized her mistake," police said in a statement.
Inside the apartment, where Rej had been staying for several weeks, authorities found marijuana pipes, rolling papers and a scale, as well as the suspected methadone bottle, according to court documents cited by the Lincoln Journal Star. The newspaper reported that investigators also found a notebook belonging to the child's mother, showing a $200 budget for methadone.
Methadone is a synthetic opiate that, when used correctly, can help suppress symptoms of drug withdrawal - particularly for people trying to quit heroin.
The child's mother, whom the Boston Herald identified as Rej's daughter, battled a heroin addiction in the past, according to court documents cited by the Journal Star; when the child was born, he tested positive for methadone and marijuana, the newspaper reported.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse said in 2008 that methadone is similar to heroin in the way it reacts in the brain; when prescribed properly, though, it does not impair people's abilities during day-to-day activities. For that reason, methadone is sometimes used to help wean people from heroin.
"It does effectively suppress opiate withdrawal and relieve the debilitating craving that typically causes people to relapse," according to the NIDA report. "Combined with behavioral therapies or counseling and other supportive services, methadone enables patients to stop using heroin (and other opiates) and return to more stable and productive lives."
Lincoln police said the methadone belonged to Rej. It's not clear whether she had been legally prescribed the drug, nor is it clear whether the toddler's mother is currently using methadone.
Authorities told the Boston Herald that the child's mother said she knew Rej was storing a methadone bottle near the other baby bottles. But the child's mother has not been charged in connection with the incident, according to reports.
The child was removed from the home pending an investigation, police said.
Rej lives in Worcester County, Massachusetts, according to reports. Police said she had been in Nebraska for the past three weeks.
Booking records show she was cited for child abuse and released from custody. It's not clear whether she has an attorney.
Her next court date is set for May 24.
© 2016 The Washington Post
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rose Rej, 48, who was visiting relatives in Lincoln, Nebraska, was storing liquid methadone in baby bottles inside the apartment, police told The Washington Post. When the baby started to cry in the early hours Tuesday morning, police said, Rej "grabbed the wrong bottle," filled it with milk and fed him.
Nearly seven hours later, police said, the boy's parents found him "unresponsive, in respiratory distress." He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he responded to treatment.
"It wasn't until the child was found in distress that [Rej] realized her mistake," police said in a statement.
Inside the apartment, where Rej had been staying for several weeks, authorities found marijuana pipes, rolling papers and a scale, as well as the suspected methadone bottle, according to court documents cited by the Lincoln Journal Star. The newspaper reported that investigators also found a notebook belonging to the child's mother, showing a $200 budget for methadone.
Methadone is a synthetic opiate that, when used correctly, can help suppress symptoms of drug withdrawal - particularly for people trying to quit heroin.
The child's mother, whom the Boston Herald identified as Rej's daughter, battled a heroin addiction in the past, according to court documents cited by the Journal Star; when the child was born, he tested positive for methadone and marijuana, the newspaper reported.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse said in 2008 that methadone is similar to heroin in the way it reacts in the brain; when prescribed properly, though, it does not impair people's abilities during day-to-day activities. For that reason, methadone is sometimes used to help wean people from heroin.
"It does effectively suppress opiate withdrawal and relieve the debilitating craving that typically causes people to relapse," according to the NIDA report. "Combined with behavioral therapies or counseling and other supportive services, methadone enables patients to stop using heroin (and other opiates) and return to more stable and productive lives."
Lincoln police said the methadone belonged to Rej. It's not clear whether she had been legally prescribed the drug, nor is it clear whether the toddler's mother is currently using methadone.
Authorities told the Boston Herald that the child's mother said she knew Rej was storing a methadone bottle near the other baby bottles. But the child's mother has not been charged in connection with the incident, according to reports.
The child was removed from the home pending an investigation, police said.
Rej lives in Worcester County, Massachusetts, according to reports. Police said she had been in Nebraska for the past three weeks.
Booking records show she was cited for child abuse and released from custody. It's not clear whether she has an attorney.
Her next court date is set for May 24.
© 2016 The Washington Post
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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