A SC mother has been charged with homicide after law enforcement says she killed her toddler by feeding her a teaspoon of salt.
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She was previously charged with felony child abuse.
High levels of salt can be toxic to anyone, but young children are especially vulnerable because their bodies are still developing.
The indictment states that Martines told authorities she had rushed her baby to hospital after being woken by her crying.
In court, Barnette told the judge that Martines said she gave the child the salt to get her husband, the child’s father, to take her back. She referred the mother to a GI doctor and BabyNet.
The child was reportedly diagnosed with an acute case of salt poisoning and is now unresponsive on life support.
While salt, even ordinary kitchen salt, can be unsafe in high amounts to all human beings, overdoses are rare, and children are more susceptible to salt poisoning, known as hypernatremia.
It all started when Kimberly fed Peyton a teaspoon of salt in an effort to “get her husband back into her life,” according to reports.
Martines’ sister Tiffany told WYFF News 4 that “There’s a lot more that went on than people understand”. In November of previous year, the girl’s pediatric doctor expressed concern that Peyton was not gaining weight properly and was experiencing slowed development.
Kimberly Martines is now being held at the Spartanburg County Detention Center with no bond.
Martines faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
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Martines’ older child, as well as the baby girl’s twin sister, have both been placed in protective custody with the Department of Social Services.
