Case Study 4

Drug related child death - taken from our archives and first published in The Police Review in 2001
A baby died as a result of methadone intoxication. The mother, a heroin addict, claimed the baby had accidentally taken methadone from the kitchen table. The investigating police officers wanted to corroborate her explanation, so a sample of the baby's hair was cut into segments and each section was analysed separately. Results revealed the baby had been ingesting methadone for 3 months. Confronted with this evidence the distressed mother admitted she occasionally fed the baby a drop of methadone from her finger to help the baby sleep.

Do you have an example of how a hair test has assisted your case? Please share the case history with other lawyers and contact us with the details for inclusion in the next update.
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