A Spanaway woman is facing criminal charges in connection with the death of her 2-year-old son, who died after ingesting methamphetamine in her home in Spanaway. Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Lindquist said Alyia Iverson, 26, was charged Tuesday with manslaughter in the first degree. Iverson is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Superior Court in Tacoma. Lindquist called the case "sad, tragic and avoidable. Parents are supposed to protect and care for their children. When a helpless child dies from drug poisoning, there needs to be accountability.GÇ¥ According to prosecutors, on Dec. 6, 2012, several people were doing drugs inside the home where the defendant lived with her son. The defendant saw the toddler drink her bong water, but she didn't call 9-1-1. Instead, she swaddled him tightly in a blanket and placed him on the bed at 1 a.m. At 3 a.m., she discovered he wasn't breathing. When paramedics arrived, the boy didn't have a pulse, and they couldn't insert an airway because his jaw was locked. He was transported to a hospital, where an emergency room physician noted that the boy's body was stiff even though he had a temperature of 104 degrees. His pupils were fixed and dilated, he had multiple bruises, and his feet, fingers and nails were extremely dirty. Fifteen minutes later, he was pronounced dead. Prosecutors said the county medical examiner reported the boy died from acute methamphetamine poisoning. Toxicology reports showed that he ingested THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and enough methamphetamine to kill an adult, authorities said. The boy and his sister were removed from their mother's home in 2011, but she regained custody, according to authorities. (Read more in the July 23 print edition of The Dispatch)
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