Background: OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Ill. where a 13-month-old baby was pronounced dead after an “excessive” dose of an over-the-counter sleep aid (Google Maps). Inset (left): Tasheaunna Williams (City of Peoria Police Department). Inset (right): Nausicca Thomas (City of Peoria Police Department).
Two Illinois women are in custody after a 13-month-old baby who was in their care died after being given a sleep medication formulated for adults.
Tasheaunna Williams, 26, and Nausicca Thomas, 27, brought a 13-month-old baby, who was in their care, to the hospital on Dec. 19, 2024, for reasons that were not made clear, according to local ABC affiliate WEEK. A press release from the Peoria State’s Attorney’s Office stated that the women gave the baby ZzzQuil, a sleep medication for adults. The baby was unresponsive and transferred by ambulance to the OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois, where the baby died on Dec. 27.
The Peoria State’s Attorney’s Office said that Williams and Thomas were not arrested until Jan. 10 because they were awaiting the results of the toxicology tests on the baby. The women were arrested without incident, and they were both indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated battery. They remain in the Peoria County Jail, where they were ordered to be held until they go to trial.
WEEK reported that the baby was in critical condition in the days leading up to his death, and the police had been called to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center when the baby arrived there on Dec. 19. Authorities from the Department of Children and Family Services were notified, as well as the Pediatric Resource Center. They began an investigation into the child’s condition, including an interview with the child’s guardians, who were not named in WEEK’s story.
Williams and Thomas are scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 27.
