Child dies after drinking whiskey; grandmother, mom jailed

PTI, Apr 23, 2022, 11:09 AM IST

A 4-year-old girl is dead after her grandmother allegedly forced her to drink a bottle of whiskey while her mother watched, Baton Rouge Police said.

Sgt. L’Jean McKneely, a police spokesperson, told news outlets the little girl’s grandmother, Roxanne Record, 53, and mother, Kadjah Record, 29, were arrested Friday, each on a charge of first-degree murder. It was unknown if either of them had an attorney who could speak on their behalf.

Officers were sent to a Baton Rouge home around 11 am Thursday after reports of an unresponsive child. The child, 4-year-old China Record, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office said an autopsy showed a cause of death was acute alcohol poisoning. The little girl had a blood-alcohol level of .680 per cent, more than eight times the .08 per cent driving limit for an adult, authorities said.

While investigating, detectives say they learned the victim’s grandmother forced her to drink a bottle of the alcohol while the mother watched.

The investigation remains ongoing.