Most mothers consider their children a blessing. Some unfortunately, think their children are a curse, including this South Carolina mother who poisoned her own child for an absurd reason.
According to NBC affiliate website WYFF, mother Kimberly Nicole Martinez fed her 17-month-old child a deadly amount of salt in the hope that the act will kill her child and get her husband back.
Coroner Rusty Clevenger said that the infant was pronounced brain dead on Thursday, August 2, and finally succumbed to the poisoning Wednesday, August 3.
“Too much sodium in the bloodstream, or salt poisoning, is called hypernatremia,” said the WYFF report. “Sodium is found in table salt, rock salt, pickling salt, and sea salt. Soy sauce [also] contains high levels of sodium.”
Although an essential chemical to a person’s health, sodium in high levels is poisonous, causing seizures, coma, and even death.
“Hypernatremia causes water to rush out of cells. Loss of fluid from cells causes damage, especially to brain cells,” the report added. “As the cells shrink, they are torn out of their normal locations. Torn blood vessels and fluid buildup can cause seizures, fluid in the lungs and kidney damage.”
When interviewed by the special victims unit Kimberly admitted to feeding her child a teaspoon of salt.
In court, Solicitor Barry Barnette told the judge that the thought of reconciling with the child’s father pushed Kimberly to commit her crime.
“She was a great mother. She would’ve never done anything to hurt her kids at all,” Kimberly’s sister, Tiffany Lazar, told WYFF News following the court hearing.
“There’s a lot more that went on than people understand,” she added. “No one should judge her at all, and there’s nothing in this world that would make her hurt her babies.”
As it turns out, Kimberly hasn’t been so keen on the idea of having children. In an earlier account, in 2015, the family’s paediatrician had concerns about the child’s weight and developmental delays.
The pediatrician then referred Kimberly to a specialist, but the mother canceled the appointment.
“After consultation with the Solicitor’s Office, Martines was charged with felony child abuse,” the report also said. “Due to the child’s death on Wednesday, the solicitor decided to charge Martines with homicide by child abuse.”
Following the incident, the toddler’s twin and older sibling have already been placed into protective custody with the Department of Social Services.
READ: Benadryl overdose killed 16-month-old after Mom gave the medicine
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