Charges: Minnesota Mom Gives Baby Laxative In Apparent Starvation Attempt

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Police say a Minnesota woman is set to appear in court on charges that she endangered her 9-month-old son by administering a mixture of a powdered laxative and water to his feeding tube in an alleged attempt to starve him.

According to court documents, medical staff at St. Paul's Children's Hospital told police in late July they had reason to believe that 25-year-old Megan Lee Kafer, of Lewiston, was causing harm to her infant son.

Police say a surveillance camera in the hospital captured Kafer covering her child with a blanket on July 26, taking out a syringe and appearing to inject something into his feeding tube.  Kafer's infant son had been admitted to the hospital earlier that month for "failure to thrive." The liquid substance inside of the syringe later tested positive for MiraLAX, a powdered laxative.

Following the incident, investigators recovered Internet searches from Kafer's phone that included "how to make a baby really sick," "how to make a baby vomit," and "MiraLax overdose."

A medical report from the Midwest Children's Resource Center described Kafer's baby as "emaciated," with a history of extensive medical intervention related to eating complications. The report concluded that Kafer had been allegedly administering additional fluid which could have been water or water mixed with other substances, including powdered laxatives.

Kafer's parental rights have been terminated, and she is slated for a court appearance on Dec. 21.