By Margaret Baker The Sun Herald (TNS) & Tribune Media Services
A Mississippi mother arrested on a charge of felony child abuse gave her 10-year-old daughter pills to take in a suicide pact the mom made with her daughter, Ocean Springs Police Chief Ryan Lemaire said.
Authorities in Huntsville, arrested Brittney Leigh Hensley, 37, on a felony warrant issued in Ocean Springs in September, two months after the crime occurred in July, the police chief said.
Hensley fled the area a short time after police responded to a report in July of a medical emergency at the extended stay motel, Studio 6, where the mother and child had been living, Lemaire said.
“She had this suicide pact with her daughter, and the daughter took the pills, but she (Hensley) didn’t,” Lemaire said. “So, the momma started freaking out when her daughter wouldn’t wake up.”
Paramedics took the child to a local hospital for treatment. Once the child regained consciousness, Lemaire said, she told police about the suicide pact her mother had made with her. However, the mother didn’t attempt to take her own life.
Hensley fled the area before she was set to meet with police investigators and officials with Child Protection Services regarding the criminal allegations.
Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers issued an alert to be on the lookout for Hensley after she fled the state. Police suspected she may have headed to Alabama because of Hensley’s relatives there.
Alabama authorities arrested Hensley on Oct. 15, and she was later extradited to Mississippi to face the charges here.
On Tuesday, Hensley was booked into the Jackson County jail. She is being held on a $500,000 bond.
