Woman Found Guilty Of Aggravated Manslaughter
A 30-year-old woman has been convicted of aggravated manslaughter in the death of her 3-month-old son in January of 2014.
Jamie Jones will be sentenced the week of December 15th and is facing up to 30 years in prison.
Her son, Hunter Lawendowski, died on January 14, 2014 from acute drug toxicity. The medical examiner said he had high levels of oxycodone, methadone and Alprazolam in his system.
The police report showed a drug test submitted by Jones on the same day as her son’s death also tested positive for the same substances.
Jones went to pick up her baby at about 10 a.m. on that same day from a babysitter at a Northside apartment complex. Jones told investigators she was tired and went to sleep with her baby in the bedroom.
According to police the babysitter checked on Jones and the baby multiple times and noticed the baby was very pale around 6 p.m. so she called police.
“She attributed it to a medical condition that the child had, but through the medical examiner’s findings, the levels were so high that it had to be ingested,” Asst. Chief Chris Butler told News4Jax.
Toxicology experts said those substances wouldn’t take high levels to be fatal on a small child. Police wouldn’t say if the drugs were ingested through the mother’s breast milk or in some other way, but doctors said a quick look at toxicology levels of both could determine that.
Police said they believe the substances were Jones’, but she didn’t have a prescription for any of them.
Documents show that the baby was born with oxycodone in his system. DCF spokesman John Harrell said DCF can’t order drug tests of newborn children but can follow up on the children. He couldn’t comment much more on this specific case. Harrell said DCF only removes a child from a home if its determined that the child is in danger after interviewing anyone involved in the child’s life.
