In June of 2011, Lacey Spears was investigated by the Florida Department of Children and Families after complaints of Spears medically neglecting her 2-year-old son, Garnett Spears.
Complaints also indicated Spears would slap her son for no reason with great force and, after the child would begin to cry she would then love on him.
Anonymous complaints to DCF stated that Spears would take Garnett swimming while his ears and face were bleeding as well as take him on road trips while “running” a high-grade fever.
DCF closed the case after classifying Garnett as being a “moderate risk.” DCF never followed up on Garnett.
In August of 2011, DCF received another complaint about Spears medically neglecting Garnett, but once again investigators closed the case without any follow up.
She was living in Clearwater, Florida when the first complaints were made.
On Tuesday, June 17, 2014, Spears, now 26, was arrested in White Plains, New York (Westchester County) and charged with Depraved Murder and Manslaughter for the death of her son, Garnett Spears.
Garnett, who died in January, was taken to the hospital in Rockland County on January 17, 2014. Spears told doctors that her son was having seizures. Two days later, Garnett’s sodium level rose to an extremely dangerous level.
While Garnett was in the hospital, Spears was sharing a room with him.
Authorities believe that while Spears was alone with her son she was injecting sodium into Garnett’s stomach tube. Garnett became critical and was transferred to the Westchester Medical Center where he became brain dead and passed away. He was only 5-years-old.
Garnett Spears’ life was short and plagued with illness. His medical records show persistent ear infections, unexplained fevers, seizures, weight loss and serious digestive issues.
Spears was running from child investigators. Every time a complaint was made; she would move. She moved from Alabama to Florida then New York. All the while, the “mommy blogger” was documenting her sons illnesses on Social media as well as her personal blog.
According to court documents obtained by Ocala Post, it was her blog that lead investigators to the truth.
Spears spent her sons entire life blogging about him. Investigators said that when Spears figured out that her blog traffic was increasing every time she spoke of her son or about something that happened to him, Spears, at that point, began to slowly poison Garnett. The abuse started when Garnett was just five days old.
Investigators said they became suspicious, so they began following every post on her blog. They said the lies slowly started to unravel and, the more they read, the more it appeared that Spears had been intentionally making her son sick.
Court records indicate that Spears searched the internet on the effects that high levels of salt can have on a person. Shortly after, she began giving her son high doses of salt.
Today, Prosecutors said that it is clear Spears poisoned her son to death and documented it for the sole purpose of gaining traffic to her blog, Facebook and Twitter account.
Her defense attorney is planning to use the defense of Munchausen syndrome and instructed Spears to plead not guilty.
Westchester Police Captain Christopher Calabrese, said that Spears did not show any emotion after she was arrested or in the courtroom. “She was kind of stoic when she came here. I think that she knew the grand jury was going on. She anticipated this happening, and she turned herself in with her attorney.”
Ocala Post contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families, but they refused to comment on the case.
If convicted, Spears could spend 25 years to life in prison.
She is being held without bond and has been placed on suicide watch.
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