Baby, 1, dead from acetone; mother, 35, accused of murder

Photo: KTBS 3

BENTON, La. (AP) — An autopsy has shown that a 1-year-old died of kidney failure from acetone intoxication, and the mother is accused of murder, a Louisiana sheriff’s office said Friday.

Bossier Parish sheriff’s deputies arrested 35-year-old Courtney Marie Seilhammer of Benton on Friday, after getting the autopsy results and an arrest warrant on a charge of second-degree murder, according to a news release.

Detectives were called to her home Oct. 14 because of the dead baby.

The statement Friday did not give the baby’s gender or say how the child came to swallow, breathe or touch the chemical, which can get into the body through the skin. Acetone is used in nail polish remover and has many other household uses.

It was not clear whether Seilhammer had an attorney who could comment on the case.