An Indiana judge sentenced a Fort Wayne woman to 20 years behind bars for attempting to kill her 11-month-old niece by lacing her milk with pain pills and caffeine.
The lengthy prison sentence was handed down two months after Sarai Rodriguez-Miranda, 19, pleaded guilty to attempted murder. Rodriguez-Miranda tried to kill her niece in January 2017 because she was angry that her brother, his fiancé, and the baby were staying at their home for an extended period, according to WDBJ.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police began investigating after the teen’s mother uncovered texts Rodriguez-Miranda had sent using a cell phone they shared.
“I’m gonna crush up some of these pills since she decided they can stay longer and kill their baby,” a January 12 text read.
Rodriguez-Miranda also wrote to her boyfriend, “I hope she dies” and “I thought it was funny that I don’t have an ounce of guilt.”
Reports indicated that another text message displayed a photo of a mortar and pestle accompanying a white powder.
Upon realizing her infant niece was unharmed, a frustrated Rodriguez-Miranda texted, “Why didn’t that baby die dude thats dumb. They definitely threw it out,” according to the Journal & Courier.
After reviewing the unsettling texts, Rodriguez-Miranda’s mother retrieved two bottles of breast milk kept in the home’s refrigerator. She realized that one of the bottles appeared darker than the other and had a residue settled at the bottom, WANE reported.
In addition to the bottle, the mother located the mortar and pestle and turned it over to investigators.
The infant’s mother claimed her daughter didn’t consume the tainted bottles but took the baby to the hospital as a precaution. Fortunately, the infant exhibited no signs of poisoning.
U.S. Marshals arrested Rodriguez-Miranda in September. The teen had reportedly fled to Michigan after learning that she would face criminal charges for trying to kill her niece.
Tests conducted on the bottle determined it was laced with acetaminophen, caffeine, and aspirin. According to the Journal-Gazette, a forensic toxicologist found the bottle had the equivalent of nine tablets of Excedrin—enough to kill an adult.
Following sentencing, the teen’s mother told WANE that she’s “just glad this is over.”
[Featured image: Sarai Rodriguez-Miranda/Allen County Sheriff’s Department]
