A Louisiana mother has been arrested after her 14-month-old son was rushed to the hospital with a dangerously high blood alcohol level that doctors warned could have killed him.
Genesis Harrell, 27, was arrested on Thursday, July 2, and charged with second-degree cruelty to juveniles, according to jail records.
The charge came more than a month after the Baton Rouge toddler was hospitalized with a blood alcohol content of 0.305% — more than four times Louisiana’s legal driving limit of 0.08% — according to an arrest warrant cited by The Advocate and WBRZ.
Harrell allegedly called 911 on May 18 after becoming concerned that her son was “not behaving normally” when he woke up.
The mother reportedly told authorities that the normally active boy went limp when she tried to pick him up. She said she put him down for a nap, but his condition had not improved when he woke up.
The child was transported from the apartment Harrell shares with her boyfriend to a hospital, where testing revealed the extremely high alcohol level.
A blood alcohol level between 0.30% and 0.40% is typically associated with alcohol poisoning, loss of consciousness and potentially fatal complications.
Doctors diagnosed the toddler with alcohol intoxication with complications and stupor, as well as acute respiratory failure, according to the reports.
He was also suffering from hypoxia, meaning dangerously low oxygen levels, and hypercapnia, a buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood. Those conditions can lead to coma, cardiac arrest and death without immediate treatment.
Medical staff reportedly warned that the boy was at risk of respiratory arrest, permanent brain damage or death.
He was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit, where doctors intubated him and placed him on mechanical ventilation.
Harrell allegedly told investigators that she did not know how her son consumed the alcohol. She reportedly acknowledged that alcohol was kept inside the apartment but claimed it was stored in a secure location.
Authorities later attempted to question her about what type of alcohol was in the home, where it had been stored and what she had been doing before her son became ill.
She allegedly declined to answer those questions.
Harrell also told police that her boyfriend was working from home when the incident occurred. However, the arrest warrant stated that he was not responsible for caring for the child and identified Harrell as the toddler’s sole guardian at the time.
Police said Harrell showed “such disregard for the victim’s interests and safety that her conduct constituted a gross deviation below the standard of care expected of a reasonably careful parent.”
Harrell was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.
It was not immediately clear whether she had hired an attorney. The Baton Rouge Police Department and the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
As of Friday, July 3, the toddler reportedly remained in the pediatric intensive care unit.
Anyone who suspects child abuse can contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. The confidential hotline is available 24 hours a day in more than 170 language
