A Slovak couple has been arrested after they allegedly gave their 4-month-old son such large amounts of crystal meth to stop him from crying that the baby boy has been declared brain dead.
30-year-old Miroslav Strnadova and his wife Silvia, 26, were arrested shortly after wheeling the unresponsive baby into the hospital in a stroller.
The parents, who are from the town of Prievidza in the north-western Slovak region, demanded to see a doctor in the emergency room right away.
"When we carried out checks it became apparent the child was in a critical state and had been given a strong dosage of drugs," a hospital spokesman said, The Mirror reported.
The couple’s neighbors said they were shocked by the allegations, but admitted the Strnadovas were well-known for their drug abuse.
"I always worried about letting my children play outside because you never knew what would happen,” said neighbor Jana Trznikova, 36.
Miroslav was reportedly known as “the Crocodile” on the drug scene because he had a violent temper, but was also the best crystal meth cooker around.
A police spokesman said the father admitted to giving the child some crystal meth to get him to stop crying, so he was arrested immediately.
"He has been arrested for neglect and for causing harm to a minor. That may change if the child dies,” he said.
Although Miroslav remains in custody, his wife has already been released. She is still under investigation and may be arrested for failing to stop her husband from giving their son drugs.
“The child's brain is severely damaged and he is clinically dead,” said head doctor Anna Moracikova. “His chances of survival are minimal and he is being kept alive by a life support machine.”
Social workers in the area are now under fire for allowing the 4-month-old to stay with his parents, who were both very well-known in the drug community.
“They should never have been allowed to keep that poor baby,” Jana said.
