A foster mother in Austin, Texas has been charged with beating a toddler to death after she was placed in her care because social services found her biological parents smoking pot.

Emergency services responded to a 911 call from Sherill Small, 54, on Monday 29th of July asking them to come to her house because two-year-old Alexandria Hill was not breathing.

The tragic tot later died in hospital from a brain hemorrhage and doctors told police that the explanation Small gave them for the child’s injuries were not consistent with her wounds.

The little girl’s life support machine was switched off on Wednesday 31st of July and Small was arrested and charged with murder the next day – allegedly admitting to authorities that she had thrown Alexandria to the ground.

Her distraught parents, Mary Sweeney and Joshua Hill are now working to file a suit against the state and foster agency, Texas Mentor for placing their child in the care of Small in the first place.

‘She was placed into foster care for neglectful supervision because her mother and I smoked pot at the time,’ explained Hill to KXAN.Com.

– Read the entire article at The Daily Mail.