Milwaukee mother charged with child abuse; accused of putting rum in baby bottle

Jul 30, 2023

According to a criminal complaint, Ashley Thayer, 24, told investigators she intentionally put Bacardi rum in the bottle because her baby was sick.

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According to a criminal complaint, Ashley Thayer, 24, told investigators she intentionally put Bacardi rum in the bottle because her baby was sick.

A Milwaukee mother is charged with child abuse and child neglect after police say she intentionally put Bacardi rum into her baby's bottle. Investigators say Ashley Thayer, 24, told them she put the rum in the bottle because her "baby was sick and she was trying to make her feel better."

A criminal complaint states that Milwaukee police officers responded to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin on March 15 to investigate possible child neglect. Thayer had admitted her infant after she reported the baby was "not acting like herself" and her lips and skin looked "blueish." The complaint adds that medical personnel reported the child was in stable condition but her blood had an alcohol content of .19, over four times the legal limit.

When detectives searched Thayer's home, they say they found a children's cough syrup bottle that was open and a plastic baby bottle with a "pinkish white substance" inside. After testing the bottle, police found the presence of alcohol, according to the criminal complaint.

Detectives interviewed Thayer who say she admitted to putting Bacardi in the bottle along with children's cough syrup. The criminal complaint adds that Thayer said she "did not measure the alcohol prior to putting it into the bottle, so she does not know how much was in there."

Thayer is charged with one count of physical abuse of a child along with one count of neglecting a child.