KENTWOOD, MICHIGAN: A Michigan mother who lost her young son to an antidepressant overdose was sentenced on July 12. She was found guilty for the June 2022 death of 17-month-old Kaiden Wood, who died in their Kentwood home. Hope Marshall, 27, will be imprisoned for at least 18 months for the crime. Her husband, Kyle Wood, also Kaiden's father, admitted to second-degree child abuse in March and was given a sentence of at least 30 months for the child's death.
In court on Wednesday, July 12, Marshall claimed that she had "failed" her son Kaiden and his brothers. "Kaiden is my world and I failed him so badly. I let my drug addiction destroy my precious son's life and my two other sons' life as well," the mom confessed. Kaiden was discovered unresponsive at their Kentwood house and was later declared dead on June 23, 2022, as per Daily Mail.
Who is Hope Marshall's husband?
Hope Marshall's husband and Kaiden Wood's father, Kyle Wood, was equally responsible for the tragic death. The toddler had overdosed on antidepressants left lying around the home. Additionally, Kyle Wood admitted he was guilty of second-degree child abuse. He was given a minimum 30-month prison term in March for the death of the baby. Wood and Marshall can spend a maximum of upto10 years in prison.
While testifying in court earlier this year as he was accused of being responsible for the death of his one-year-old son, Wood made similar remarks to Marshall. In March 2023, during the trial, Wood admitted, "I understand that I made a mistake that day. And I acknowledge that I must stop. And unfortunately, I lost one of my sons while doing it." Wood added, "I just want to say, not even to the court, but to my son, that I'm sorry."
What happened to Kaiden Wood?
Kaiden, who was 17 months old, was discovered unconscious in June 2022 at a house in Kentwood on Prince Albert Street SE close to Garland Street SE. A soup pot filled with vomit, a marijuana pipe, and Xanax were among the lethal items discovered in the house by the investigators. Early reports state that the officers also discovered a number of objects that raised questions, including Xanax on the kitchen counter and three loose Wellbutrin tablets that Marshall said belonged to her. Both drugs are frequently utilized as antidepressants.
According to 13 ABC, there discovered a broken Acetaminophen tablet in Kaiden's crib and a vape pen on the floor in the hallway. The last time Marshall saw Kaiden alive was on June 23 at around 8 am, when she had just fed him some Cheerios and placed him back in his bed. She discovered him in his bed "cold and blue" two hours later. She relocated him to the living room floor, where he was eventually discovered by arriving emergency personnel.
According to a report from the Kent County Medical Examiner's Office, paramedics tried to revive him, but they were unsuccessful since his jaw was already overly compressed. According to a report from the ME's office, "He was in full rigor mortis at the time of arrival of EMS. He was pronounced deceased at 10.25 am on 6/23/22." According to an autopsy, Kaiden died from "acute Bupropion and Duloxetine toxicity," two antidepressants.
'Children don’t make a choice'
Judge Paul Denenfeld cited three instances of youngsters overdosing on drugs and drugs that parents had left around when he handed down Hope Marshall's sentence. Denenfield expressed the hope that the incidents will serve as a warning to parents to keep all illicit substances out of the hands of their kids. Judge Denenfield added: "Parents want to sit around and use drugs, whether it’s legal or illegal, I guess that’s a choice on their own. Children don’t make a choice of being tempted by things that children would normally reach out and try to ingest."
