California Infant Dies After Mom Uses Meth Pipe Swab to Clean His Nose

Monday, September 03, 2007

ONTARIO, Calif. — An 8-month-old boy has died after his mother told police she accidentally cleaned his nose with a cotton swab used earlier to clean a methamphetamine pipe.

Samuel Reta of Ontario was declared dead Friday at Loma Linda University Medical Center, according to the San Bernardino County Coroner's office.

Reta had been in a coma since police responding to a child-not-breathing emergency call early Thursday found him in full cardiac arrest. The baby also has a fractured skull, broken arm and pneumonia, police said.

Elizabeth Reta, 27, was arrested Thursday and booked for investigation of felony child abuse.

Her boyfriend Juan Antonio Sanchez Jr., who surrendered to police later that night, was also arrested on suspicion of abusing the child, officials said.

It was not immediately known if Reta and Sanchez faced additional charges now that they boy had died, police Sgt. Joseph Giallo said Monday.

Reta had told police she gave the baby a bath, and then used the cotton swab to clean his nose because it was itching, police said. She said she didn't know the swab had been used to clean a methamphetamine pipe.

It wasn't clear when the baby suffered the broken bones. Police said some of the injuries may be the result of Sanchez's attempt to rouse the baby from his seizure.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,295585,00.html

There is absolutely no excuse for this. These two need to spend the rest of their lives in jail. If you are so fucked up that you would clean your babies nose with a meth filled cotton swab you should not have babies. Reta claims she didn't know it was used to clean a meth pipe...but what was a meth pipe even doing in the house?
Then skull fractures and broken arms? I hope they will be able to determine if those injuries occurred prior to the Sanchez's attempts to revive Samuel.

That poor kid never had a chance.