ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida grandmother is charged with manslaughter after authorities say she accidentally gave her grandson a fatal dose of methadone.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office arrested 59-year-old Brett Aitken last week for the December death of her 15-month-old grandson in St. Augustine.
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Investigators say Aitken kept the controlled drug after its prescribed user died. She placed the liquid in an empty bottle of her grandson’s allergy medicine, telling detectives it was “for a rainy day.”
She told detectives she forgot when the boy had an allergy attack and gave him a lethal dose. The boy’s name wasn’t released.
Methadone helps addicts quit using heroin and other opiates by reducing withdrawal symptoms.
Aitken is jailed on $100,000 bond. Her attorney didn’t respond to an email Sunday seeking comment.
