Chelsea Cheyenne Becker was arrested and charged with the murder of her child, who was stillborn and tested positive for methamphetamine.
When the stillborn baby was delivered on September 10th, doctors suspected the use of drugs during pregnancy. So, they opted for testing. The suspicion turned out to be accurate, as methamphetamine was detected in the baby's system in a highly toxic level.
To be precise, the meth levels were six times the toxic level of meth in the baby’s system. The Hanford Police Department arrested Becker, 25, after confirming the baby’s death to be a homicide based on the autopsy report provided by the Kings County Coroner's Office. An arrest warrant was issued against her soon after discovering the fact.
Local law enforcement officers arrested Becker immediately from Tachi Palace Casino in Lemoore. The mother used to reside at the 1000 block of Lark Street in Visalia. According to reports, Becker was arrested on Tuesday night. Her official record of charge sheet shows as early Wednesday. Her charges were stated as a felony charge of first-degree murder. She is booked into Kings County Jail in Hanford, while her bail has been set at $5 million.
However, Becker presented herself as innocent. Her lawyer, Robert Stover, did not respond to her phone calls. Her next hearing will be on November 19. Doing meth has been a stubborn habit of Becker. Upon investigation, police found that she previously lost she custody of multiple children due to substance abuse.
Julie Lance, her aunt, had already adopted her 3-year old child and has custody of her one-year-old child. According to CNN affiliate KGPE, the eldest child, a 4-year-old, was also adopted. Upon further investigation, Becker confessed that she has been using meth just before three days of delivery. Julie Lance, regarding one of the Becker’s kids, says, "Troy was born addicted to meth and we got him when he was two days old.” Vallin said, “They did and CPS took them out of her custody when they were born. He believed the pattern repeated itself last month."
Vallin said, "The levels of methamphetamine in this baby's system were such high levels, even for an adult, so we believe that she was using almost the entire time that she was pregnant." Terra Ordonez, Becker's cousin, was hopeful that her cousin recovers. She also mentioned how smart and beautiful Becker was before addiction.
Ordonez shared, "I'm excited for her to straighten up and get clean because I know she's smart enough to get out of it. Hopefully, it's an eye-opener for a lot of women who are struggling. If you're pregnant, scream for help."