Texas Parents Allegedly Inject 1-Year-Old Daughter With Meth to Help With Pain After She’s Burned With Boiling Water: Sheriff

A Texas couple has been arrested after they allegedly injected their 1-year-old daughter with methamphetamine to help ease pain she suffered after being severely burned by boiling water, according to authorities.

On Nov. 5, Amanda Mann, 31, and Dustin Lawrence, 30, were arrested and charged with endangering a child, endangering a child risking bodily injury, injury to a child, and four counts of intentionally abandoning/endangering a child, KSAT reported.

In a press conference, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said five other children were found in the couple’s “filthy” RV.

When first talking with police, the couple claimed the little girl was burned in a hot shower. Mann later said the injuries were actually caused by boiling water from the stove, but it was not clear if the girl pulled down the pot or if one of her parents dumped it on her, Salazar said.

The alleged incident took place during the evening of Nov. 3, and Mann and Lawrence declined to take the child to the hospital. Instead, they treated her with a cheap burn ointment and meth, officials alleged.

The little girl fell asleep through the night, but when the parents removed the sheets covering her in the morning, the child's skin fell off, Salazar said.

During the evening on Nov. 4, the parents phoned a family friend, who suggested they take the baby to the hospital for treatment. The couple dropped the baby off at the medical facility and then left, authorities said.

Officials determined Mann and Lawrence were the child’s parents and they were taken into custody on Nov. 5.

During the investigation, deputies found 2-month-old twins — who officials said were delivered in the family's trailer and never received medical care — a 2-year-old, a 6-year-old and an 8-year-old. Salazar noted the 8-year-old was left to care for the other children while Mann and Lawrence took the toddler to the hospital.

Authorities said one of the other children also tested positive for meth.

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Salazar said the 1-year-old victim suffered “outright torture.” He added law enforcement officials have “thrown every possible charge” at the parents and he hopes “they stay in jail for the better part of the rest of their lives based on what we’ve seen.”

All of the children are now in the care of Child Protective Services, officials said.