Woman Accused Of Killing Baby Daughter
Grand Jury Indicted Woman Last Week
POSTED: 6:39 am EST December 26,
2007
UPDATED: 6:52 am EST December 26,
2007
BOSTON -- A Peabody, Mass., woman will face a judge in Maine Wednesday as prosecutors attempt to have her brought to Massachusetts to face charges of killing her infant daughter. On Friday, a grand jury indicted Jennifer Ward, 37, on charges she shook her 9-month-old baby, Jocelyn Ward Anderson, so badly she died. The Essex County District Attorney's office said the cause of death was determined to be abusive head trauma. Ward was arrested later that night at her parents' Kennebunk, Maine, home.
The baby died at Children's Hospital Boston on Nov. 21. DSS had previously taken the baby away from Ward for a brief time. State Department of Social Services spokesman Richard Nangle said the agency took custody of the baby shortly after birth in February when both mother and daughter tested positive for drugs. Ward regained custody after agreeing to outpatient therapy, but Nangle says the baby was again removed by the DSS after a report of neglect. Ward regained custody of the baby a second time after completing a drug treatment and parenting education program.
Copyright 2007 by TheBostonChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.















