Two women from Kentucky were charged with manslaughter after letting a 14-month-old child drown while busy getting high on Nov. 16.
Leaving 14-Month-Old Child Alone to Drown
According to the court filings, Monica and Erica Goodwin were at home with Monica’s kid, who was 14 months old, on November 16, as reported by WKYT.
The two of them proceeded to one of the bedrooms while leaving the child alone downstairs. The child was reportedly left alone for a sufficient amount of time to climb into an indoor hot pool, where the child drowned.
Officials were able to clearly observe drug paraphernalia located upstairs in the bedroom, according to the Sheriff’s Deputies, and when the Goodwins were questioned about what had occurred, they revealed to social services that they regularly use methamphetamine.
They also admitted to the social services agency that they had left the child alone so that they could go get high upstairs.
On Monday, the two women were taken into custody. Both are being jailed at the Clark County Detention Center on a bail of $50,000 as they each face one count of manslaughter for their involvement in the incident.
According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation is not finished yet and is continuing.
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Family Drug Courts in Protecting Children
Advocates stress the importance of family recovery courts, also known as family drug courts, in preventing child abuse and neglect, which frequently occur in conjunction with substance abuse.
According to KYCIR, substance abuse was present in the households of over half of the children in Kentucky who died or were seriously injured due to maltreatment in 2020.
In a state like Kentucky, which has among the highest rates of child maltreatment and opioid misuse in the country, it is surprising that family recovery courts are not more widely available, given their undeniable success in safeguarding children.
Many family drug courts, supported by the state, were disbanded in 2010 due to funding cuts. After more than a decade, the state legislature has voted to reinstate part of this funding, but only in Jefferson County.
Advocates argue that in a budget year where $1 billion was left unspent, financing for these courts should have been accessible in more counties across the state, even though this revival of state support is a step in the right direction.
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