Ventnor NJ Woman Charged with Aggravated Manslaughter in Death of Infant Daughter

A Ventnor NJ woman faces manslaughter charges for allegedly causing the death of her infant daughter.

The suspect is a 32-year-old woman from Ventnor, New Jersey. On January 3, 2016, the suspect was at her residence, which is located on the 5700 block of Monmouth Avenue, when she needed to place an emergency call to the Ventnor City Police Department. The suspect dialed 911 and told the police dispatcher that her seven-month-old daughter was not breathing.

When Ventnor NJ cops arrived at the scene, they found the young victim unresponsive. Emergency medical responders administered CPR to the victim and then transported her to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, where doctors provided further medical treatment. She was later moved to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, which is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tragically, the young victim did not survive her injuries. She was pronounced dead four days after the incident at the Ventnor NJ residence.

Shortly after the victim was taken to the Atlantic City medical facility, the suspect was placed under arrest and charged with a number of lesser crimes, including endangering the welfare of a child, possession of heroin, and illegal possession of prescription drugs. The child endangerment charges stemmed from law enforcement’s belief that the suspect rolled over on top of the victim while sleeping; the drug crime charges were brought against the suspect because police allegedly found her with heroin, oxycodone, Suboxone, and Lyrica.

However, even after the initial charges were filed, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office continued to investigate the suspect. Investigators later determined that the suspect may have administered methadone to the victim prior to the infant’s death.

Now Atlantic County prosecutors have made the decision to criminally charge the suspect with aggravated manslaughter in connection with the death of the suspect’s child. If the suspect is ultimately convicted on the first degree felony charges, she could end up being sentenced to as many as 20 years in NJ State Prison.

While the suspect awaits resolution of the criminal charges against her, she is being held at the Atlantic County Jail in Mays Landing, New Jersey. Her bail amount has been set at $100,000.

For more information, read the Press of Atlantic City article, “Ventnor Mom Charged with Aggravated Manslaughter in Daughter’s Death.”

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