A Florida babysitter is accused of poisoning an 11-month-old with antifreeze, while investigating authorities uncovered an eerily similar 2014 incident suggesting this isn't the first child to fall victim to this babysitter.
59-year-old Anna Adamo is being charged with adulterating food or drink, aggravated c/a, and first-degree attempted homicide.
These charges stem from a day back in February of this year when an 11-month-old baby in her care ended up in ICU ...fighting for his life.
On February 12th, the mother of the infant dropped her son off at Anna Adamo's house to be babysat.
The anxious mother was like most mothers and stayed in contact with Adamo throughout the day, receiving updates on her son's wellbeing. Everything seemed to be going just fine, and Adamo reported nothing out of the ordinary.
However, at approximately 3:30 p.m., when the child's grandmother picked him up from Adamo's home, she noticed her grandson seemed lethargic and more tired than usual. In fact, the baby slept the entirety of the time he was with his grandmother, approximately 2 hours.
When the mother came to get her son, he was very lethargic and unable to hold his head up. He was also not aware of his surroundings. As she began traveling home, the baby began vomiting. According to the mother, she noticed the vomit was sticky, smelly, and clear.
She contacted her husband, and they both agreed they should take the child straight to E.R. This would be the first step in a 7 day saga that saw this young boy fighting for his life.
After a battery of tests and transfers to 3 different hospitals, a doctor at Nicklaus Children's Hospital suggested testing for oxidized crystals in the baby's urine.
The test came back positive for Crystal Oxalate, and Adamo fell under immediate scrutiny. Crystal oxalate can only be in urine due to a very rare genetic disorder or from ingesting antifreeze. Doctors at the hospital said that in their medical opinion, the child had to have ingested antifreeze the same day he was brought to the emergency room due to the way it is metabolized by the human body.
Anna Adamo was brought in for serious questioning. Anna refused to be questioned without her husband present, and when detectives began pressing, her husband suddenly ended the interview.
A search warrant was issued on Adamo's home, and two containers of antifreeze were recovered. One container was full while the other had 2 and a half cups missing. There was little else of evidentiary value recovered. However, the doctors timeline of the poisoning would be enough for probable cause to issue a warrant for the arrest of Anna Adamo.
While investigating the case, detectives were disturbed to discover Adamo had been the babysitter in a 2014 case where a child was discovered to have Crystal Oxalate in his urine. No criminal charges were filed in the 2014 case.
Anna Adamo was arrested in Georgia in early October and extradited to Okeechobee County, where she was booked into jail on the aforementioned charges.
Luckily, the babies did survive. There is no word on what damage was done.
Anna Adamo posted a $60,000 bond and was released. She could face life in prison if convicted.
As someone who has (unfortunately) personally witnessed what antifreeze can do to a human, I find this woman's alleged behavior to be abhorrent. This is how my brother passed.
It is a terrible, and I do mean terrible, way to pass away. It leaves behind horrible and long-lasting health problems, if you are lucky enough to live. It damages your brain, heart, and kidneys swiftly. It is very painful, whether you are a baby or an adult.
The baby mentioned in this story did suffer cardiac arrest and that is very common with antifreeze. Most suffers go into a coma swiftly.
I personally do not believe that this woman should have been released upon bail, but that is merely my opinion.
I'd also like to remind everyone to always buy antifreeze that has Bitrex added to it. It's a chemical commonly found in fingernail polish remover and radiator fluid, AKA antifreeze. It has saved more than one life. Bitrex helps to prevent children and animals from drinking antifreeze, as well as adults. It makes the liquid nearly impossible to drink due to the incredibly bitter taste.
Anna is innocent until proven guilty.
*For my followers in Australia, we commonly have radiator fluid in our garages for our vehicles. It is strange for it to be inside of a home, but not totally unheard of.
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