A Missouri woman was arrested and is now facing charges in the death of her four-year-old daughter from drug overdose, the St. Louis Police Department said Sunday.
Christina Huntspon, 32, was charged by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Sunday with endangering the welfare of a child – death of a child in the first degree, according to the police department and was jailed on a $500,000 cash-only bond.
Police said that Huntspon's young daughter was found unresponsive in her father's bed at her residence in Jennings, just outside of St. Louis, shortly before 6:30 p.m. Saturday "with indication she had experienced a drug overdose".
"Several capsules of suspected heroin were found in the home where the child was found unresponsive," said the police in a news release.
The child was taken to a local hospital by ambulance for medical aid but was pronounced dead at 7:29 p.m.
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Police said that the child's father had legal custody of her due to the mother's extensive drug use and that he "displayed no signs of drug use". They added that the child was even born under the influence of a controlled substance and that numerous care reports indicated the mother's addiction.
Huntspon also admitted to having a drug addiction and using heroin in the home the morning the child died, according to the police.
"She admitted her addiction likely caused the death of her daughter and knew of no other person who would have introduced drugs into the home," said the new release.
The incident is being investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Crimes Against Persons.
Huntspon's arraignment was scheduled for Monday, according to court records. An attorney for her has not yet been listed.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.