Two years after Alyia Iverson’s toddler boy died from a methamphetamine overdose, she is now charged in the death of the two-year old son. The Spanaway, Washington resident allowed her son to ingest THC and meth, which lead to the child’s death. The investigation into this case lasted for two years.
Alyia Iverson pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charge during her arraignment in the Pierce County Superior Court on Wednesday. Her bail has been set at a quarter million dollars and she’s held at the Pierce County jail.
Details from the case were released to the public and they are quite shocking. Investigators revealed that in December 2012 Iverson saw as her son drank bong water and did nothing to aid the boy. Instead of calling 911, she wrapped the boy tightly in a blanket and put him in bed. Iverson declared that this annoyed the little boy, so she cleaned the room enough for him to have a spot on the floor to sit. A couple of hours later, the woman discovered that her son was not breathing and then called the paramedics. When they arrived, they found that the toddler did not have a pulse and his jaw was locked and could not insert an airway.
He was taken to the hospital where it was noted that even though he had a temperature of 104 degrees, his body was stiff, his pupils fixed and dilated and he had multiple bruised. His nails and fingers were also very dirty. Less than fifteen minutes later, the little boy was pronounced dead.
An autopsy and a toxicological test was made which revealed that the victim died from acute methamphetamine poisoning. The boy had enough meth in his system to kill an adult and he also had THC in his system, which is the active ingredient in marijuana.
With the amount of drugs in him, the boy would have exhibited obvious signs of distress, such as convulsions, seizures and fever.
Prosecutor Mark Linquist said:
Sad, tragic and avoidable. Parents are supposed to protect and care for their children. When a helpless child dies from drug poisoning, there needs to be accountability.
The woman’s relatives have tried to warn the state and her children (the boy and his older sister) were removed from Iverson’s home, but in 2011 she regained custody.
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