A 32-year-old Baltimore woman was arrested Thursday on charges of first-degree child abuse.
Police processed Lataya Hutchins, of the 5400 block of Plainfield Avenue, to Central Booking Intake Facility in connection to the death of six-month-old Indira Henderson.
On November 18, 2017, patrol officers from the Baltimore Police Department's Northeast District responded to the 5400 block of Plainfield Avenue for a report of a baby not breathing, where they found Henderson being cared for by medics. The baby was rushed to a local hospital where the child was pronounced dead.
Early investigations revealed the baby hadn't had a bowel movement in four days. The babysitter, Hutchins, contacted the child's mother and asked for permission to perform an enema to relieve the blockage, to which the mother agreed.
Hutchins applied a lubricant to the warm water pipette, then administered the enema. Once administered, the baby began convulsing, eventually succumbing at an area hospital.
Police performed an autopsy the next day. The autopsy investigation was completed on March 30, 2018, and the death was ruled a homicide by poisoning. Investigators determined the lubricant used was Lidocaine, resulting in the baby's death.
