A 32-year-old Florida woman faces child neglect charges after police said she fed her infant formula mixed with water used to clean methamphetamine needles. The baby tested positive for the drug and is recovering in stable condition. Authorities arrested Jalyn Brownworth on April 9 following a hospital investigation.
Jalyn Brownworth took her baby to a Gainesville hospital after noticing concerning behavioral changes, prompting medical staff to alert authorities. Tests confirmed the infant had been exposed to methamphetamine, leading the Alachua County Sheriff's Office to investigate. Police determined that Brownworth had prepared the baby's formula using water previously employed to rinse hypodermic needles contaminated with the drug, as detailed in a Sheriff's Office Facebook post announcing her arrest on April 9. The baby remains in stable condition and is recovering, though officials did not specify current custody arrangements. Online court records indicate Brownworth was ordered not to contact the child upon her release from jail. She faces a charge of child neglect without bodily harm and is held at Alachua County Jail on $20,000 bond, according to reporting by local ABC affiliate WCJB. Her next court date was not immediately available.