Pennsylvania mother ordered to stand trial after baby dies from drug-tainted breast milk

NEW BRITAIN TOWNSHIP -- A Pennsylvania mother charged with killing her baby with drug-tainted breast milk was ordered to stand trial.

A judge upheld the homicide charge at the preliminary hearing of 30-year-old Samantha Jones of New Britain Township.

Authorities say her 11-week-old son was killed in April when he overdosed on amphetamine, meth and methadone, transmitted through her milk.

According to investigators, Jones told them she had been taking prescription methadone because of an addiction to painkillers and was taking it at the time of the baby's death.

Jones allegedly told police that she had been primarily breastfeeding the baby but switched to formula three days before the child's death because he wasn't getting enough milk.

At around 3 a.m. on April 2, the baby began crying and Jones allegedly told police she tried to breastfeed the child because she was too tired to go downstairs to get a bottle of formula.

Her husband told police the baby was crying again around 6 a.m. and Jones asked him to prepare a bottle of formula. After he left for work she fed the baby and fell back asleep, waking up again around 7:30 a.m. to find the child in obvious distress.

Jones' mother performed CPR at the instruction of 911 dispatchers until medics arrived. The child was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead about an hour later.

Jones has a 2-year-old son who is in the care of his father.