Idaho woman sentenced to prison for death of her 7-week-old baby | Idaho

POCATELLO – An Idaho woman was sentenced to five years in federal prison for criminal injury to a child, following the death of her seven-week-old baby boy on Dec. 10, 2019, in Fort Hall, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office .

According to court records, Keisha Cody, 27, of Fort Hall, admitted to recklessly causing injury to the health of her child by intentionally exposing the child to methamphetamine and causing the child to become malnourished, resulting in led to the death of the child. . On December 10, 2019, Fort Hall police and an ambulance were called to Cody's residence on the Fort Hall Reservation of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes for a report of a child who was not breathing . A person who was staying at the residence that night told police she woke up around 9 a.m. and found Cody crying, saying her baby wouldn't wake up. Emergency medical personnel took steps to save the child's life, but the seven-week-old boy was later pronounced dead.

An autopsy concluded that the cause of death was malnutrition and that the child had significant levels of methamphetamine in his blood, which contributed to his malnutrition and death. Cody admitted in an interview with the FBI that she used methamphetamine in the child's presence and otherwise exposed him to methamphetamine.

“This case painfully demonstrates the deadly consequences of substance abuse and addiction,” said U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit. “We stand with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, as well as the law enforcement officers and emergency personnel who responded to this tragedy, in mourning this loss of life. »

“The loss of her innocent newborn is something this mother will now have to live with for the rest of her life,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the FBI in Salt Lake City. “This case shows the unintended and devastating consequences of drug addiction. The FBI and our partners are continually working to combat this problem that has brought so much pain and destruction to our communities.

Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye ordered the five-year prison sentence to be followed by three years of supervised release. Cody pleaded guilty to the charge on December 21, 2023.