A North Otago mother extensively researched online before feeding a toxic concoction of chemicals to her 15-month-old while he was in hospital, causing him brain damage. The offending took place over a period of 10 days between Dunedin and Auckland in August 2019, in which the mother fed her son chemicals through a feeding tube and by mixing it with milk formula. The woman administered a combination of an ingredient found in non-prescription eye drops and her anti-depressant medication to the toddler while he was in Dunedin Hospital for issues recorded as bronchiolitis. The mother stole non-prescription eye drops from the hospital pharmacy on multiple occasions during this time, hiding them in her clothes and handbag. On August 26, she laced his feeding tube with naphazoline, pheniramine and antazoline, all of which are active ingredients of eye drops and nasal sprays.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 01, 2021 03:11 UTC