mother accused of trying to kill hospitalized baby with salt

[Amby 490]

PITTSBURGH — A Tennessee woman tried to poison her 4-month-old son at a city hospital by injecting a salt water solution into his feeding tube and has been charged with attempted homicide, police said.

Police did not release the name of the boy, who remained in critical condition with sodium poisoning at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh on Wednesday. The boy's 21-year-old mother, Amber Brewington, was taken into custody late Tuesday following the alleged poisoning attempt, police Cmdr. Thomas Stangrecki said.

The boy became ill and earlier this month was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where he was diagnosed with sodium poisoning, Stangrecki said. The baby was transferred to the Pittsburgh hospital on July 9, he said.

During that time, the boy's father traveled with him and his condition began to improve, Stangrecki said.

But the boy's condition declined after his mother visited him on Sunday and again on Tuesday night, leading to Brewington's arrest, Stangrecki said.

Brewington gave investigators a statement, which Stangrecki would not detail, and was found with a syringe, a container of salt and the children's drink product Pedialyte. Stangrecki said police believe Brewington was using the syringe to inject the solution into the child's feeding tube

Investigators believe the boy had also been poisoned in Tennessee, Stangrecki said.

"We believe last night was another attempt to deliver more salt water or sodium to her child," Stangrecki said Wednesday.

Brewington was also charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child. She was awaiting arraignment in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

It was not immediately clear if she would have an attorney representing her at the hearing.

The boy's father was questioned, but is not suspected of wrongdoing and faces no charges, Stangrecki said.

Stangrecki said he's not sure if Brewington is married to the child's father. Brewington has two children with him and a third child by another man, Stangrecki said.

The custody status of Brewington's other children was not immediately available.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,383842,00.html

[Marilyn. 340]

[Heracles 417]

If only we can convince congress to setup a prisoner exchange program with Singapore. If we have the death penalty there certainly should be no problem with the more effective corporal punishment system.

10 canings later and this dumabss would come back a girl scout.

[brnidokiegurl 0]

crazy people - crazy world

[Nagishkaw 510]

crazy people - crazy world

Yep.

[Amby 490]

I agree! I keep reading all this really crazy stuff today. I just keep thinking #######?

[Peikko 1,575]

A lot of people lead very messed up lives for all kinds of reasons. Still, let's do the prison swap as per BY and solve all our problems. Yay for Girl Scouts!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Yep - pretty terrible situation. I can't fathom the killing of an infant outside of some sort of syndrome like Munchausens by proxy. I bet this woman turns out to be unbalanced in some way...

But yes - lets turn our justice system into one big s&m club as BY suggests. Perhaps he'll be up for putting on the black leather hood and getting out the bamboo - seeing as he's so keen on canings and all.

[Heracles 417]

I'll administer the punishment. If I commit a crime and harm another person then by all means you guys can line up and cane me.

Sorry but harming someone else in 2008 is not acceptable. If people want to behave like rabid animals then we need to treat them like rabid animals.

[Peikko 1,575]

We agree that harming each other is not acceptable. We definitely disagree on how to prevent/punish those that do.

Most studies that have been done conclude that if you recieve brutal treatment you are more likely to participate in brutal treatment.

I have absolutely no wish to 'administer the cane' and can't see how behaving like rabid animlas is going to stop people from behaving like rabid animals. It simply does not make sense.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

We agree that harming each other is not acceptable. We definitely disagree on how to prevent/punish those that do.

Most studies that have been done conclude that if you recieve brutal treatment you are more likely to participate in brutal treatment.

I have absolutely no wish to 'administer the cane' and can't see how behaving like rabid animlas is going to stop people from behaving like rabid animals. It simply does not make sense.

I guess its a good thing that the justice system makes some distinction between the mad and the bad. Because the black-hood "eye for an eye" folks sure don't.

[sara535 15]

that poor little baby. this story just makes me sad. I think I better go hug and kiss my own baby now.

[Heracles 417]

We agree that harming each other is not acceptable. We definitely disagree on how to prevent/punish those that do.

Most studies that have been done conclude that if you recieve brutal treatment you are more likely to participate in brutal treatment.

I have absolutely no wish to 'administer the cane' and can't see how behaving like rabid animlas is going to stop people from behaving like rabid animals. It simply does not make sense.

I guess its a good thing that the justice system makes some distinction between the mad and the bad. Because the black-hood "eye for an eye" folks sure don't.

Well the current 'lets talk about your childhood' system has failed and is a failed concept. Has not worked in any developed nation using it. Whereas corporal punishment has been effective for thousands of years. And is actually quite effective in the nations which still use it.

[Heracles 417]

We agree that harming each other is not acceptable. We definitely disagree on how to prevent/punish those that do.

Most studies that have been done conclude that if you recieve brutal treatment you are more likely to participate in brutal treatment.

I have absolutely no wish to 'administer the cane' and can't see how behaving like rabid animlas is going to stop people from behaving like rabid animals. It simply does not make sense.

Unless someone is immune to pain they will learn, quick smart, to never commit such a crime again. The correctional system would pray these inmates return while the criminals would have to be stupid to return again.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

We agree that harming each other is not acceptable. We definitely disagree on how to prevent/punish those that do.

Most studies that have been done conclude that if you recieve brutal treatment you are more likely to participate in brutal treatment.

I have absolutely no wish to 'administer the cane' and can't see how behaving like rabid animlas is going to stop people from behaving like rabid animals. It simply does not make sense.

I guess its a good thing that the justice system makes some distinction between the mad and the bad. Because the black-hood "eye for an eye" folks sure don't.

Well the current 'lets talk about your childhood' system has failed and is a failed concept. Has not worked in any developed nation using it. Whereas corporal punishment has been effective for thousands of years. And is actually quite effective in the nations which still use it.

Sure - that's why we have prisons and psychiatric institutions.

Corporal punishment might have been used for thousands of years - but I don't think you can reasonably say it was "effective" for thousands of years.

Thankfully we don't live in the Mongol empire anymore.