Miami, FL – A woman has been charged in the death of her 9-month-old son after he ingested lethal amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine. Natalia Munoz-Paulino, 26, faces second-degree murder and aggravated child abuse charges.
The boy was pronounced dead on July 2. A probable cause arrest affidavit details that police responded to a local hospital, where the child was reported deceased.
Upon visiting Munoz-Paulino’s apartment, police discovered a disheveled environment, littered with clothing, trash, and old food. Officers intervened to prevent the boy’s older sibling from consuming baby oil from a bottle.
Munoz-Paulino stated she fell asleep while holding her son and woke to find him unresponsive. However, she provided varying accounts to investigators, claiming the boy had fallen, drowned, or choked.
The suspect mentioned her son had a history of placing foreign objects in his mouth. An autopsy revealed eggshells and feathers present in his stomach alongside the drugs discovered in his system.
The cause of death was determined to be a homicide stemming from child neglect, attributed to the presence of narcotics. Munoz-Paulino admitted to using drugs over the weekend preceding her son’s death.
She remains in custody at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with no bond and has pleaded not guilty. The boy’s father, residing out of state, reported previous observations of drug use at the apartment.
