Mom Accused Of Giving 'Obedience Medicine' To Children Arrested For Toddler's Methadone Overdose

An Arizona woman has been charged with murder and abuse a year after her 2-year-old daughter died of a methadone overdose.

Shae'd Bowen was arrested Tuesday from DoubleTree Hotel near Chandler Boulevard in connection with the 2020 death of her toddler daughter, police said as per 12 News.

Medical responders were called to the residence of Bowen at around 8 a.m. on April 14, 2020. Upon arrival, they saw the toddler unresponsive. They rushed the child to the hospital, but she was declared dead on arrival.

The deceased child's 7-year-old sibling also showed signs of intoxication. The girl appeared disoriented and was taken to hospital, where she tested positive for methadone, police said in court documents.

When questioned, Bowen told the police that she had been taking scheduled doses of methadone at her home due to COVID-19 and only she had access to the bottles stored in the lockbox.

However, she thought the toddler might have taken an empty methadone bottle from the trash, causing the overdose.

The mother also told police she had checked on the toddler wondering if she handled the methadone bottle. She claimed she had seen no signs of ingestion.

However, Bowen admitted to police that she had given both children melatonin before putting them to bed as the toddler had been "fussy" the night before her death, the report added.

Authorities talked to Bowen's 7-year-old child, who said their mother would give them "obedience medication" at night.

Investigators reportedly tried to get the child to open the methadone bottles herself, but she was unable to. When asked whether her little sister had drunk from the bottle of methadone in the trash, the child did not answer. But she said she had stopped her sibling from playing with the bottle.

Though the liquid found in the bottle in the trash tested positive for methadone, a toxicologist determined that the level of medication in the victim's body was too much to have been from the empty bottle. The toxicologist concluded that "either the children had been given one large dose each or had prolonged exposure," police said.

A few months ago, a Florida-based couple was arrested after their 21-month-old son overdosed on cocaine. According to police, the child put a spoon with cocaine residue in his mouth. His parents claimed the incident had taken place outside. However, an investigation revealed the child had been poisoned at home.