Inset: A photo of Jaley Bush from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Background: The moment Bush was interviewed by officers of the Keokuk Police Department.
The life of an Iowa woman has taken a pivotal turn after she claimed her baby accidentally rolled into a trash can, leading to his tragic death.
At the age of 28, Jaley Bush was charged with child endangerment resulting in death following the death of her son, known as R.S., as initially reported by Law&Crime.
Bush received a five-year prison sentence after admitting to charges of child endangerment and involuntary manslaughter in May, according to information from local ABC affiliate KCRG based in Cedar Rapids.
On January 27, according to a criminal complaint accessed by Law&Crime, Bush was at a friend’s residence on Hickory Terrace in Keokuk. She had her infant son with her, and they both fell asleep on a bed located in a basement bedroom.
She awoke to find her son “head first and unresponsive inside of a trash can next to the bed,” the court document stated. The child had fallen asleep “on the inside portion of the bed” and the defendant believed he “must have crawled over or around her before falling into the trash can.”
Officers with the Keokuk Police Department responded to the home at about 2 p.m. that day and began lifesaving efforts on the child. Bush was there, too, and she apparently “exhibited signs of being under the influence of some form of narcotics as her demeanor was stoic and her speech appeared to be slurred.”
Law&Crime obtained body-worn camera footage of officers’ conversation with Bush at the residence. She tells them of her child, “he had rolled into the trash bag.”
Before falling asleep that day, Bush said she took Klonopin, a sedative that “produces a calming effect on the brain and nerves” and “helps to reduce anxiety, prevent seizures, and promote relaxation,” according to WebMD. She allegedly “did not know whom the pills belonged to,” according to the criminal complaint.
The next day, authorities got a search warrant to obtain a blood sample from Bush. She reportedly tested positive for methamphetamine and benzodiazepines, the latter of which is the classification for Klonopin. She told police she did not take any drugs from the time first responders arrived at her home to the time the drug test was taken, per the court document.
The baby was pronounced dead on Feb. 5 with the cause of death ruled to be asphyxia — a lack of oxygen.
Bush will serve her sentence at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women.
Keokuk is located in southeastern Iowa, straddling the borders of Missouri and Illinois.