Cudahy woman accused in death of 14-day old baby; child allegedly given 'lethal dose of methadone'
Amanda-Linn Tanski
MILWAUKEE -- Amanda-Linn Tanski of Cudahy faces a charge of first degree reckless homicide in the death of her 14-day old baby. She made her first court appearance on Saturday, Feb. 2 where bail was set at $5,000.
According to the criminal complaint, Cudahy police were dispatched to a home on E. Squire Ave. around 2 a.m. on Dec. 19, 2018 "in response to a 911 call involving an infant who was blue in color and not breathing."
Tanski, 30, told investigators the child had been born on Dec. 5, 2018 -- and remained hospitalized until the evening of Dec. 17 "due to birth complications." Tanski said outside of leaving the residence briefly for a doctor appointment, she was home feeding and caring for the child.
Just after midnight on Dec. 19, the complaint says Tanski fed the baby a bottle of formula. She then breastfed the child for 20 minutes. The child was then swaddled in a blanket and laid on Tanski's bed.
Around 2 a.m., the child's father returned home and spoke with Tanski for several minutes. The complaint says during the conversation, the father "lifted (the infant) up and noticed that (the infant's) body was limp." The child was removed from the blanket. The child was pale and its chest was not moving, the complaint says. Tanski called 911 at that point.
Despite life-saving measures by paramedics, the infant was pronounced deceased shortly before 3 a.m.
In interviews with police, Tanski admitted to "receiving methadone treatments" as prescribed by a doctor. She told investigators "the defendant's doctor knew the defendant was breastfeeding and did not have concerns about methadone from breastfeeding" the infant.
An autopsy was conducted on the infant. On Dec. 19, the medical examiner found "no signs of trauma internally or externally that would explain the cause of (the infant's) death." However, on Jan. 11, 2019, "initial toxicology testing revealed methadone in (the infant's) cardiac blood." Based on this new evidence, the medical examiner concluded the infant's "cause of death was acute methadone intoxication by being given a lethal dose of methadone." The medical examiner stated in the complaint that "the lethal amount of methadone in (the infant's) system could not have been delivered via breastfeeding." The manner of death was ruled as homicide.
Tanski later admitted to investigators that she was "having trouble caring for both children while (the infant's) father was at a bar on Dec. 18."
Tanski's preliminary hearing is set for Thursday, Feb. 7.