Sheriff: Infant found dead in drug-filled Marysville hotel room

Published On: Jul 26 2013 03:38:44 PM PDT   Updated On: Jul 26 2013 11:15:46 PM PDT

An 11-day-old infant was found dead Wednesday in a Marysville motel room filled with drug-related items, including hypodermic syringes, plastic baggies and scales, deputies said Friday.

"An uncapped and fully exposed hypodermic syringe and needle containing a liquid substance suspected to be heroin was found close to the ground and easily accessible to a 5-year-old boy who had also been living in the motel room for several days prior to the infant's death," reads a news release from the Yuba County Sheriff's Department.

A Marysville woman, the mother of the children, has been arrested. Jenifer Marie Sierra, 27, was taken into custody on outstanding warrants Wednesday.

Officials arrested her the following day on felony child-endangerment charges, deputies said.

Yuba County officials were called to the Rio Inn motel in Linda on a search warrant Wednesday.

College student Haley Blakely, who is staying at the motel, said she went running to assist when she heard Sierra screaming.

Blakely began giving CPR to the infant without success.

“None of the oxygen would get into the baby because the baby had already been dead for about two to four hours,” said Blakely.  “That’s what the paramedics said.” 

Blakely said the young mother was “a mess."

“She was saying why does this keep happening to me? Why me? Why me?”

Sierra had confided that she was receiving methadone for an addiction problem and had relapsed according to Blakely.

Officials say it's not clear how the infant died. Results from an autopsy are awaiting further tissue tests.


blog comments powered by Disqus