SC mother charged after newborn who died in Rock Hill tests positive for fentanyl
A South Carolina woman was arrested Monday after her newborn child died hours after birth and tested positive for fentanyl and methamphetamine, Rock Hill police said.
Jessica Luann Medlin, 31, of Lancaster, was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child Monday, said Lt. Michael Chavis of the Rock Hill Police Department.
The baby died about two hours after after birth on Aug. 28 at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, Chavis said. But Rock Hill officers obtained an arrest warrant in February for Medlin after a pathologist report showed the deceased child tested positive for drugs, Chavis said. Police in Lancaster County located Medlin last week.
Medlin did not have a prescription for either fentanyl or meth, Rock Hill police said in a statement Tuesday.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The DEA says fentanyl is inexpensive, widely available, highly addictive, and lethal.
Meth is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The charge against Medlin is a felony that carries up to 10 years in prison for a conviction under South Carolina law.
Medlin remains in the Rock Hill jail pending a first court appearance.
This story was originally published March 19, 2024 at 10:50 AM.
