SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) - A woman whose year-old daughter died of a drug overdose was charged with murder after police found traces of cocaine in the baby's bottle, police said Monday. Daniela Toledo do Prado, 21, brought her daughter Vitoria to the hospital on Saturday night, complaining that the child was suffering from convulsions caused by drinking spoiled milk.
The child vomited repeatedly and died of heart failure early Sunday, police investigator Paulo Roberto Rodrigues said.
Doctors found a suspicious white powder on the girl's tongue. The mother claimed the powder was milk but it tested positive for cocaine, Rodrigues said.
Police searched the mother's house and found a hypodermic needle and a bottle hidden behind a shelf in a baby supply bag. The bottle and the needle had traces of cocaine.
"In my 26 years in the profession, I have never seen a mother trying to poison her own child," said Rodrigues.
Rodrigues said Prado did not remember whether she had put cocaine in the bottle.
Prado was charged with homicide and could face between 12 and 30 years in prison if convicted.
