Mother charged in toddler's fatal overdose

HOUSE SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) - A Jefferson County woman faces felony child abuse charges in connection with her 22-month-old son's fatal drug overdose.

An autopsy found that Carson Swyres of House Springs died of morphine intoxication in October 2013 and also had methamphetamine, opiates and other drugs in his system.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (bit.ly/1jEjAxD )reports that 26-year-old Lacey Kertz was arrested Wednesday on charge of child abuse or neglect resulting in death.

Kertz told Jefferson County sheriff's investigators that she took Vicodin and Xanax pills and used meth about 24 to 36 hours before Carson's death, then breastfed her son to help him sleep.

She is being held without bond. Online court records didn't list an attorney for Kertz as of late Wednesday afternoon.