Gaston mother whose child dies Sunday morning to remain in jail after being denied bond

Lexington, SC (Paul Kirby) – A young Gaston mother whose infant child died in a home off Meadowfield Road Sunday was denied bond Monday after investigators had her in front of a Lexington County judge. During that hearing, they presented more details of how the infant died in their warrants. Kaitlynn Busby, 23, was taken into custody Sunday afternoon after her 5-month-old child was found dead in the home earlier that morning after first responders were dispatched to the house.

Investigators listed a litany of allegations against Busby that are spelled out in the warrants drawn up against her. Those warrants say that Busby was using and in possession of illegal drugs when she, “became impaired by knowingly and voluntarily using illicit drugs and then co-slept with her five-month-old infant.” Co-slept is usually a term used by police to signify the adult slept in the same space with the infant, an unsafe practice for a very small child. This is especially dangerous if the adult is impaired and may be unaware of where the baby is in relation to the adult. The warrants also go on to say the drugs caused Busby to behave in a way, “which manifested an extreme indifference to human life, resulting in the infant’s death.” Beside the drug possession charges, Busby has been formally charged with homicide by child abuse.

The investigators say that Busby admitted to the them that she used marijuana and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax that was not prescribed for her. A search warrant also revealed methamphetamine, marijuana, Xanax and drug paraphernalia all over the home where she and her baby stayed. They also found cocaine there as well. The warrants continue by saying, “Drugs and paraphernalia were located in every bedroom of the home, to include within reaching distance of where the infant slept prior to his death.”

Other people in the home gave statements regarding Busby’s behavior during the night and the early morning hours leading up to the baby’s death. They said that she had been using meth and other drugs, and that Busby was the last person to be with the child prior to his death. Busby is a longtime resident of the area and at one point attended nearby Pelion area schools.