A mother in Wisconsin was arrested following the death of her 3-month-old baby, who tested positive for drugs after he was found wedged between his mom and a couch.
Tashae Goodman was arrested on Sunday, May 17, and was charged with reckless homicide.
Authorities learned about the boy’s death when Goodman, 31, called 911 in the early hours of March 22 after she learned that her baby was not breathing, according to a criminal complaint viewed by Law & Crime. During the call, she allegedly told dispatchers that she “slept on” the baby when they were both on a couch.
Paramedics reported to the home and performed lifesaving procedures on the infant. However, they were not able to revive him and he was pronounced dead at 4:29 a.m.
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The baby died while in the gap between the cushions and the back of the couch, and Goodman allegedly told police that he “fell in there” on previous occasions.
Goodman added that the baby had been fussy and he would cry unless he was held, which she did for most of the day and when she went to bed.
After Goodman fed the baby at 1 a.m. on March 22, she claimed she laid her son down on the sectional couch and placed him between herself and the back of the couch. She later woke up at 3:40 a.m. and found the boy “wedged” between the cushion and the back of the couch, adding that he was “bleeding from his nose and head.”
An autopsy was later performed on the child, which revealed he had been in good health with no signs of trauma, illness or disease that would explain his death.
Meanwhile, toxicology results revealed that the baby bottle Goodman used for his final feeding allegedly contained fentanyl. The test also determined that the boy had fentanyl, xylazine, heroin and oxycodone in his system when he died. In light of the findings, the baby’s cause of death was determined to be mixed drug toxicity and the manner was ruled as homicide.
During the investigation, police searched jail phone records and uncovered a conversation between Goodman and the baby’s father. The father, who was in custody, had tried to call Goodman several times on March 20. She finally answered at 4:57 p.m., and the father accused her of being “high.” While police said that Goodman’s speech was “slurred,” the father allegedly said, “I can hear it in your f***ing voice.”
That same day, Goodman reportedly didn’t show up to pick up both of her children from daycare. During a phone call with the baby’s father on March 20, he accused her of “dropp[ing] the baby off at daycare so [she] could get high.”
While speaking to detectives, Goodman allegedly claimed that the drugs found in her baby’s system were transmitted “in utero.” Police wrote in the complaint that the claim “defies logic, common sense and science.”
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Goodman also denied using drugs on a regular basis, though she did admit to using Percocet. She also allegedly claimed that the drugs found in the bottle were “residue” that was there because her home wasn’t properly cleaned.
Following the investigation, Goodman was charged with reckless homicide and two counts of chronic neglect of a child. She is currently in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail and is being held on $250,000 cash bond.
It is not currently clear if Goodman has entered a plea or retained legal counsel. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
