A 59-year-old woman, Anna M. Adamo, has been arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and adulterating food or drink following the near-fatal poisoning of an 11-month-old child under her care. The charges stem from an incident that allegedly occurred on or around February 12th at Adamo’s residence in Okeechobee.
According to the Okeechobee City Police Department, the victim, an infant not yet able to crawl, walk, or feed himself, was dropped off healthy at Adamo’s home. The child’s condition took a dramatic turn after he was picked up by his grandmother around 3:25 p.m., appearing unusually lethargic and lacking alertness, police reports state.
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The child’s mother and grandmother grew concerned when the boy seemed unable to hold his head up. Soon after, the infant began to vomit a substance described as abnormally smelly, sticky, and clear. Rushed to a local emergency room, the child was eventually transferred to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, where he suffered a full cardiac arrest and was placed on life support, requiring 10 minutes of CPR for revival.
While initial diagnoses suspected common ailments like the flu, a series of negative tests led doctors to an alarming discovery. Testing for oxidized crystal in the child’s urine returned a positive result, leading doctors to conclude the child was either suffering from a genetic disorder or had been poisoned with ethylene glycol—a key component of antifreeze. Subsequent tests ruled out the genetic explanation.
The police investigation zeroed in on the timeline of events while the child was with Adamo. Detectives noted inconsistencies in Adamo’s account, including her denial of her husband—who works at an auto parts store—coming home for lunch, a claim later contradicted by his own statement and surveillance footage.
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Investigators noted that an open bottle of antifreeze at the defendant’s residence was allegedly missing 2 1/2 cups of fluid.
Based on expert consultation, police concluded the child would have had to be poisoned on the same day, likely within one to two hours of showing symptoms, pointing to Adamo as the source of the poisoning. Police allege she intentionally poisoned the infant with antifreeze, WPBF reported.
In a further development, police revealed Adamo had previously been accused of poisoning a child in her care with antifreeze in 2014, though no charges were filed in that case. When questioned earlier this year, Adamo allegedly denied ever being suspected of such an act.
The child has since been released from the hospital, though police stated the extent of long-term injuries remains unknown.
Adamo was arrested on October 3rd in Lowndes County, Georgia, on a fugitive from justice warrant and was extradited back to Florida. She was released on bond on Wednesday.
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