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BOGALUSA, La., Dec 7, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- An 18-year-old rural Louisiana mother has been charged with first-degree murder for placing her 3-month-old baby boy into a hot, tumbling clothes dryer.
Bogalusa Police Sgt. Darryl Darden said Lakeisha Adams called them Monday night to say her son had died. She first told officers she thought she saw somebody near her home and attempted to say someone else placed the baby in the dryer, but later confessed to it, the Baton Rouge Advocate reported Wednesday.
The coroner said 50 percent of the infant's body was covered with third-degree burns that were consistent with prolonged exposure to heat. There also was bruising on the front and back of the child's head, which is consistent with being tumbled in the dryer, the report said.
Adams offered no reason for her actions during her confession, and her 1-year-old daughter was taken into state custody.
Coroner Peter Galvan said that a bottle of a "common antidepressant" was found at the home, but he didn't know if the mother had taken them, or if she suffered from postpartum depression.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2005 by United Press International
