Baby disabled after drinking Fort Myers mom's methadone

A Fort Myers 1-year-old is partially blind and can no longer crawl or pull himself up due to injuries investigators say he received after he drank his mother's liquid methadone.

Anna Highland, 27, of Fort Myers, was arrested Wednesday by the Lee County Sheriff's Office on medical aggravated child neglect charges after an investigation by the sheriff's office and the Florida Department of Children and Families found that her son ingested methadone and immediate medical attention was not sought, causing him permanent injury.

Methadone is a narcotic that reduces withdrawal symptoms in people addicted to heroin or other narcotic drugs without causing the "high" associated with drug addiction.

A sheriff's office report said that on the morning of Sept. 12, the 13-month-old child drank from a bottle of liquid methadone that was being used by Highland as part of her addiction treatment.

Highland found her son on the floor with the methadone bottle nearby and called her mother to come home from work, which she did, according to the report.

Highland, her mother, and the child then took a nap from 2 to 5 p.m. and reported they could not awaken the child at that time.

Lee County EMS was called and reported the child was unresponsive and took him to Lee Memorial Hospital. EMS personnel later told deputies the child had symptoms of narcotics overdose and had suffered severe oxygen deprivation.

Highland told deputies she did not know the child drank the methadone since she thought she had taken an entire dose and did not notice he had symptoms prior to 5 p.m.

Highland's mother told deputies she returned home because her daughter could not handle stress and she also did not notice the child had any problems prior to 5 p.m.

A DCF hold was placed on the child at the hospital. He was discharged Sept. 28 and placed into medical foster care.

"We have opened a child protection investigation as a result of the incident," said Natalie Harrell, a DCF spokeswoman. "The child has been sheltered and is in the care of a foster family. As a result of the incident, the mother has been charged by law enforcement with second-degree felony for child neglect with great bodily harm. Due to State Statute 39.202(1), additional information cannot be released at this time."

According to the DCF investigator, the child was placed in a drug-induced coma, required a ventilator and had at least two seizures after taking the methadone. He was also diagnosed with anoxic brain injury brought about by prolonged oxygen deprivation, causing brain tissue to die.

Highland is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 2.