Clinton authorities have arrested a mother of nine on suspicion of child neglect leading to the death of her youngest child, a 2-month-old, at a local hotel Tuesday.
Darla Luke’s baby was found dead at the Econo Lodge Hotel, a few days after she was charged with child neglect over poor living conditions at her house.
“At some point between June 7 and June 21, the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services returned the children to her custody,” a spokesperson for the city said.
The coroner’s office determined the baby’s cause of death as asphyxiation suggesting it may be the result of co-sleeping.
The 34-year-old’s other children were placed with their grandmother, the city official said.