Mother charged with murder and child abuse after toddler dies of methadone overdose

A total of 19 bottles of methadone was found in the home.

A mother in the US has been charged with murder and child abuse this week after her two-year-old daughter died of a methadone overdose last year. On the morning of April 14, 2020, police in Chandler, Arizona responded to a home where they found the infant unresponsive. The child was then transported to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead, per reports. Police say the infant's mother, 31-year-old Shaed Bowen, claimed her daughter must have obtained an empty bottle of methadone from the bin the night prior to her death. A seven-year-old child was also transported from the home to hospital as she appeared to be intoxicated by methadone. The mother claimed she never gave her children the drug, which is generally used to treat addiction and for pain relief. She told police she always secured the bottles in a lockbox that only she had access to. Police found that the clinic from which she obtained the drug has strict protocols whereby bottles containing the substance are to be kept in a lockbox and empty bottles are to be kept and returned in order to receive a new dose. However, a total of 19 sealed bottles of methadone was located in Bowen's home. Police say they found a full dose bottle unsecured in a Hello Kitty-decorated drawer in the bedroom that she shared with her daughters. Bowen also reportedly claimed the toddler couldn't open the bottles, insinuating that her eldest child must've opened it. But when police provided several bottles to the seven-year-old girl to open, she couldn't open any of the safety caps. The girl also revealed to police that her mother would give herself and her sister "obedience" medicine at night. Bowen told police she would give her kids melatonin to help them sleep and that her toddler was acting "fussy" the night before her death. She said she saw the infant messing with the bottle from the bin, but did not suspect methadone intoxication. A toxicology report concluded that the children had a greater dose of methadone in their systems than was possible to obtain from a drop in an empty bottle, which police claim contradicts Bowen's story. The mother now faces charges of second-degree murder and child abuse.