A woman is facing negligent homicide charges after her 1-year-old son died from a possible drug exposure, Phoenix police said.
Officers responded to an injured person call just before 7:30 a.m. Jan. 29 at an apartment near 32 nd Place and Van Buren Street and found Jody Jackson, 1, unconscious inside.
The fire department responded and provided medical aid; however, the boy died at the scene, police said. Another child in the apartment was not harmed.
Investigators collected evidence and spoke to the boy’s mother, Natalie Tate, 37, who confirmed she was the caretaker for the two children, police stated in a release.
“Tate admit(ed) to using drugs the night before and believed Jackson might have gained access to the container with drugs and ingested a pill,” the release stated.
She was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on one count of negligent homicide and two counts of child abuse. The investigation remains active as detectives await the findings of a post-mortem exam, police said.