Today Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist charged Alyia Iverson, 26, with manslaughter in the first degree after her toddler son ingested meth in her Spanaway home and died. Iverson is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. in room 270 of the City-County Building in Tacoma.

“Sad, tragic and avoidable,” said Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “Parents are supposed to protect and care for their children. When a helpless child dies from drug poisoning, there needs to be accountability.”

On Dec. 6, 2012, several people were doing drugs inside the home where the defendant lived with her two-year-old son. The defendant saw the victim drink her bong water, but she did not call 911. Instead, she swaddled him tightly in a blanket and placed him on the bed at 1 a.m. The defendant said this irritated the child, and he was “pissin and moanin,” so she “cleaned up the room enough that he had his own spot on the floor.”

At 3 a.m., she discovered he was not breathing. When paramedics arrived, the victim did not have a pulse, and they could not insert an airway because the victim’s jaw was locked. He was transported to the hospital. The emergency room physician noted that the victim’s body was stiff even though he had a temperature of 104 degrees. His pupils were fixed and dilated, he had multiple bruises, and his feet, fingers and nails were extremely dirty. Fifteen minutes later, he was pronounced dead.

According to the medical examiner, the victim died from acute methamphetamine poisoning. Toxicology reports showed that he ingested THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and enough methamphetamine to kill an adult. Before dying, the toddler would have exhibited obvious signs of distress including a fever, convulsions and seizures.

Witnesses reported the defendant has a history of smoking meth in her children’s presence, the house was unsanitary, and the children were not properly fed and were physically abused. The defendant’s cousin reported that she brought the victim to her home to care for him and he began to drink water from the dog bowl. The victim and his sister were removed from the defendant’s home in 2011, but she was able to regain custody.

Charges are only allegations and a person is presumed innocent unless he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.