A mom has been charged with murder after her four-year-old son died when he consumed THC gummies in May, the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office shared on its official Facebook account.
Dorothy Clements, 30, of Spotsylvania, was indicted by a Spotsylvania County Grand Jury on Monday. She was charged with one count of felony murder and one count of child neglect.
Clements was booked on Wednesday evening and is being held at Rappahannock Regional Jail, where she was denied bond, per officials. It is not known whether she had a legal rep to speak on her behalf.
On May 6, Clements' young son suffered a "medical emergency". The child succumbed to his injuries two days later, NBC News reports.
"Detectives from the Child Victims Unit investigated the death and learned from doctors that the child's toxicity level showed a high level of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)," states the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office Facebook post. "Detectives believe the child ingested a large amount of THC gummies."
According to investigators, a doctor told them that if the youngster had received medical care soon after the ordeal occurred, "it could have prevented death."
Police alleged that Clements did not seek help soon enough after he was found unresponsive on May 6 at the Fredericksburg home they were visiting, more than 10 miles away from Spotsylvania.
An autopsy found THC - the substance in marijuana that gets people high - was the cause of the boy's death.
Clements told investigators she called poison control after her son ingested half of a CBD gummy and that she was told her son would be fine.
While the case was being investigated, police said that Clements' statements did not match evidence found at the home in which the incident took place. It was there that an official was said to have found an empty THC gummy jar.
Clements faces up to 40 years behind bars on the murder charge. Her arraignment is set for November 1, per official records.
Poison Control says that "serious and sometimes life-threatening side effects can occur in children who consume cannabis edibles," and advises parents and guardians to keep any items containing marijuana away from minors.
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