A Florida mother is facing criminal charges in connection to a January incident when she tried to feed her baby a bottle of bleach.
22-year-old Melissa Barnes allegedly gave a relative visiting her shed a baby bottle to feed the 13-month-old girl.
The relative, who told detectives the mother and baby were living in “cold, cluttered, and unsanitary” conditions, noticed that the toddler refused the bottle.
She then checked the bottle and found out that it contained bleach.
Barnes told detectives that she only used bleach to clean the bottle but an investigation confirmed the presence of chlorine-based bleach.
On May 28, authorities obtained an arrest warrant for Barnes on charges of child abuse and child neglect.
She was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Highlands County jail.
“This case is deeply disturbing,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said.
“No child deserves to be subjected to such dangerous and neglectful conditions.”
“The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is committed to protecting our community’s most vulnerable, and we will work tirelessly to ensure that those who harm children are held accountable.”
