A 32-year-old Philadelphia woman was charged with causing the death of her 10-month-old son from illicit drug exposure in 2022, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw and Medford Police Chief Arthur E. Waterman.
Vanessa Hampton was charged with second-degree manslaughter and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in the third degree. She was taken into custody last week in Philadelphia and is awaiting extradition to New Jersey, according to a press release from the prosecutor’s office.
The investigation began in November 2022 after Medford officers were called to a residence for the report of an unresponsive infant. The baby was taken to Virtua Hospital in Voorhees, then transferred to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. But he failed to regain consciousness and was declared dead about one week later.
An autopsy performed by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide, concluding that the infant died from drug intoxication after being exposed to Xylazine. The drug – known on the street as tranq – is widely used in veterinary medicine as a sedative, muscle relaxant and analgesic, but it is not approved for human consumption or medical treatment, according to the prosecutor.
The charges against Hampton allege that she was responsible for exposing her child to the drug, resulting in his death. The homicide investigation was conducted by members of the Medford Township Police Department Criminal Investigations Bureau and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
