Woman accused of using drugs in another pregnancy

Published: Sunday, January 13, 2008 3:21 PM CST

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) - A woman accused of using drugs before delivering a stillborn baby in 2006 is pregnant again and tested positive for methamphetamine, police and prosecutors say.

Because of the test results, Judge Colleen Dolan ordered special bond conditions for Mackenzie L. Gruenewald, 27, of south St. Louis County.

Gruenewald's attorney, Terry Flanagan, said Gruenewald posted $25,000 bond Friday and moved in with her parents in Arnold, one of the conditions in Dolan's order. Flanagan said he has not yet received the documentation to verify Gruenewald is pregnant and using drugs, as prosecutors and police allege.

Gruenewald is charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly using drugs during an earlier pregnancy. Police said she saw her doctor on Aug. 15, 2006, and reported that there had been no fetal movement. The baby was due Aug. 21, according to police.

The doctor induced labor, and the baby was born dead. Police say the baby and the mother both tested positive for meth.

In a probable-cause statement, county police Detective Tony Cavaletti said that the baby was otherwise healthy. He said the official cause of death was “intrauterine fetal demise associated with maternal use of methamphetamines.”

Under Dolan's order, Gruenewald must live with her family in Arnold until she can be admitted to a treatment center for inpatient care. She also must wear an electronic monitor and make herself available for random drug testing.

Dolan said she set the bond conditions at the request of prosecutors, who told her Thursday that Gruenewald is both pregnant and allegedly using meth.

Prosecutor Kim Kilgore said her office has been so busy obtaining stringent bond conditions for the defendant that the possibility another crime has been committed has not been looked at.


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