News 12 uncovers red flags ahead of 6-month-old’s fentanyl death
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A North Augusta mom sits in jail, charged with homicide by child abuse after her 6-month-old died from exposure to fentanyl.
Brittany Hamilton appeared for her bond hearing, where she was denied bond on Tuesday. But as we’ve uncovered, incident reports show this is not Hamilton’s first encounter with the law.
Hamilton’s criminal file started nearly a decade ago. Since 2012, North Augusta Public Safety responded to 19 calls involving Hamilton; in some way.
In 2021, they were at the North Augusta home where she lives with her parents seven times, and seven times again in 2022.
Over the last 10 years, the calls ranged from well-being checks to suspicious activity, break-ins, medical complaints, disorders, civil matters assisting other agencies, follow-ups, and child abuse.
During a suspicious activity call in 2020, officers found drugs and drug paraphernalia. A clear plastic bag was located in a closet next to several syringes, a scale, knives with white residue, and other paraphernalia.
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A sandwich bag tested positive for methamphetamine. But the report says Hamilton’s mother pulled the officer to the side to tell him she had found the meth and hid it from her.
Her mother wasn’t sure what the substance was but wanted the police to have it. It was seized for destruction, and no one was charged.
Eight months later, in March of 2021, Hamilton’s sister called North Augusta Public Safety for a multi-party disorder. Her sister told officials Hamilton and her husband Justin had locked themselves in a bedroom with their baby.
Going against the Department of Social Services, DSS, order requiring them to be supervised with their baby. Later, officers documented that Hamilton was falling asleep while speaking to officers with pinpoint pupils, indicating she was under the influence.
Justin was arrested for a stolen vehicle warrant in another county, but Hamilton was not charged.
Less than a month later, in April, when her first daughter was born, a DSS caseworker found Hamilton and her new daughter tested positive for amphetamines, but there wasn’t enough probable cause to arrest her since she had an Adderall prescription and said she didn’t realize she was pregnant for several months.
She never showed up to the Aiken Center for counseling and drug testing each time her DSS worker made an appointment. Reports show was still working to have the child removed from Hamilton’s custody. That was their second child.
A year and a half later, Hamilton is now charged with possession of less than one gram of meth and a murder charge after the death of her third child.
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