Woman Charged In Death Of Her Baby (Put Baby In Microwave Oven)

[matcom]

<snip>

A woman has been charged in the death of her infant daughter, who authorities believe might have been put in a microwave oven.

China Arnold, 26, was arrested at her home Monday on a charge of aggravated murder, police Sgt. Gary White said. Her month-old daughter, Paris Talley, died in August 2005.

"We have reason to believe and scientific evidence to support that a microwave oven might have been involved in the death of this child," said Ken Betz, director of the Montgomery County coroner's office.

The baby was dead when Arnold brought her to Children's Medical Center on Aug. 30 of last year, White said. The death was ruled a homicide caused by hyperthermia, or high body temperature, due to thermal injury.

Betz said the case was difficult. "We're in an area where there's not a lot of scientific research on the effect of microwave on human beings," he said. He added, there were no external signs as there would have been with scalding water.

Arnold had been arrested initially and later released. Greg Flannagan, a spokesman for the county prosecutor's office, said there was a lengthy investigation before prosecutors determined there was enough probable cause to issue an arrest warrant, which was filed Wednesday.

Arnold was being held in the Montgomery County jail.

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=46343

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Good God! How awful.

What a complete nutjob she must be. That is so sad.

[madinmaryland]

2. Wasn't there a story yesterday about a guy sticking a baby in a freezer?

:wtf: is wrong with people?

[matcom]

3. it's baby week on Matcom News!

:bounce:

[madinmaryland]

4. Apparently. Check this site out for more weird news:

http://www.newsoftheweird.com/archive/index.html

[flamingyouth]

5. OMG why did I click on this?!

:cry:

[BreweryYardRat]

6. Dead baby jokes are no longer funny.

[matcom]

7. not a joke

:shrug:

[BreweryYardRat]

9. I know that.

I'm saying that dead baby jokes (some of which involve microwaves) have now ceased to be funny because of this.

[matcom]

10. aaahhhhhh

gotcha

[ThomCat]

12. I agree.

It's hard to laugh when you know that somewhere someone has really done this stuff. x(

[Westegg]

8. "China" and "Paris"? One has to wonder...

...Perhaps this was a cosmopolitan, "jet-setting" family, but somehow, I dunno, I doubt it. Was China (born approx. 1980) named after Grace Slick and Paul Kantner's daughter China Kantner? Or was it rhyming Cockney slang for "friend" ("China plate"= Mate)? As for the late Paris (yes, it's tragic and sick as hell; I'm not making a joke), I rather like my theory that she was named after Paris Hilton. Which is fucked up.

I remain AMAZED by the fact that anyone is able to have a child. This may sound elitist, but I firmly believe there should be some kind of general competency requirement in advance of being a parent. This country seems so concerned, indeed obsessed, with the rights of the unborn, but doesn't seem to give a flying fuck about the born. It's obscene. And so we get China nuking her baby like some 7-11 burrito. Can't wait to see the lawyer spin on this one. It's entirely predictable, of course.

I'm going to be pondering this fucking tragedy all day-- and somehow, for the rest of my life.

Or maybe I just have too much time to think.

[BarenakedLady]

11. I knew I shouldn't have read this.

:-(

[Haole Girl]

13. Unbelievable

People are just unbelievable. :cry:

[gardenista]

14. No. How can anyone do that?

:cry:

I shouldn't have read that.

[Deja Q]

15. What an evil thing to do.

However, WHY did she do it?

No time for responsibility?

Cost of living too much?

Thought about the baby who gets to live in the future?

No time for responsibility?

Combination of many?

Other?