Parents charged after infant death

The parents of an infant who was found dead with methamphetamine in her system earlier this summer have been charged with manslaughter.

The parents, Alexis Terrell, 31, and Robert Hunter, 41, both of Newton, have been arrested and charged with manslaughter, according to Philadelphia Police Chief Eric Lyons.

Both were arrested on Aug. 12, the mother at Hardee’s where she worked, and Hunter when he showed up at the Philadelphia Police Department for questioning.

The arrests comes in connection with the investigation into the death of the infant discovered on July 8 at a residence on A  Avenue, Lyons said.

The two-month-old infant, Paisley Terrell, was found not breathing and was transported to Neshoba General, where the baby was pronounced dead, Lyons said.

The arrest comes after a toxicology report showed the infant had “a large amount of methamphetamine” in her blood at the time of death, according to Lyons.

He said investigators are “unsure exactly how the meth got into the baby’s system,” but they do suspect the use of meth was common by both parents. He said they often consumed the drug through vaping. 

“It is possible that the baby ingested the meth through contact with vape fumes,” Lyons said.

Investigators learned of frequent drug use inside the residence by both parents, Lyons said. He said Child Protective Services was involved in the investigation.