SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Authorities say a South Carolina mother has been charged with child abuse after feeding her 17-month-old daughter a teaspoon of salt.
Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Kevin Bobo says in a news release that doctors told them the salt caused the toddler to have seizures and a high fever. She is on life support.
Investigators charged 23-year-old Kimberly Martines with felony child abuse. Police didn't know why she gave her daughter salt.
Arrest warrants noted she went to the doctor in November and ignored the pediatrician's referral to another doctor because the baby was not gaining weight and to an agency that helps babies who are slow to develop.
Deputies say a twin sister and second sibling are in protective custody.
Martines faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. It wasn't known if she had a lawyer.
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