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Authorities charged a Mississippi mother, Brittney Leigh Hensley, after she allegedly made a “suicide pact’ with her 10-year-old daughter. After the child took the pills, Hensley allegedly chose not to fulfill her part of the pact.
Police responded to a report of a child overdosing at an Ocean Springs Studio 6 Motel in Mississippi on July 6. According to PEOPLE, officers arrived to find the 10-year-old girl unresponsive, with a green backpack containing empty prescription bottles and unidentified capsules nearby. Ambulances took Brittney Hensley and her daughter to Ocean Springs Hospital, where doctors intubated them.
FoxNews10 reports that investigators uncovered a “suicide pact” between Hensley and her daughter, both agreeing to take the pills. Deputy Chief Steven Dye told PEOPLE that Hensley claimed she had taken a specific dosage at a set time. However, hospital blood tests didn’t match her story. The physician’s report stated that if her account had been accurate, she wouldn’t have survived. Dye stated that investigators think Hensley chose not to go through with her part of the suicide pact. Per WXLOX, her daughter is now in the custody of Mississippi CPS.
Police claim that Hensley fled to Alabama, where she has family and previously lived, as the case developed against her. Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers released a statement on Facebook on October 14, announcing that she was wanted on charges of criminal child abuse involving the poisoning of a minor.
Police arrested Brittney Hensley in Huntsville after they issued a warrant for her on October 15. PEOPLE states Ocean Springs charged her with felony child abuse causing bodily harm. Jail records show that officials booked her into the Jackson County Adult Detention Center in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on October 29 and set her bond at $500,000, per FoxNews10. The case has not yet gone to a jury trial.
