A Mississippi mom has been arrested after allegedly making a failed “suicide pact” with her 10-year-old daughter and then allowing the child to attempt it, while she did not.
Brittney Leigh Hensley, 37, fled the state following the incident in July. She was eventually picked up by law enforcement in Alabama and charged with felony child abuse.
Officers from the Ocean Springs Police Department, in Mississippi, responded shortly before 6:30 pm on July 6 following reports of an unresponsive child at the extended stay Studio 6 motel – where Hensley and her daughter had been living.
When first responders arrived, they found the unconscious girl and Hensley, who fled the area shortly after, police said.
According to the Biloxi Sun Herald, paramedics took the child to a local hospital for treatment, where she regained consciousness.
Ocean Springs Police Chief Ryan Lemaire told the outlet that she told police about the suicide pact her mother had made with her.
“She had this suicide pact with her daughter,” Lemaire said. “The momma started freaking out when her daughter wouldn’t wake up.”
Police suspected that Hensley had fled to Alabama because she had relatives there. An alert was put out online by Mississippi Crime Stoppers for civilians to be on the lookout for her.
On October 15 the page reported that Hensley had been taken into custody by the Huntsville Police Department on behalf of the Ocean Springs Police Department on a warrant for “Felonious Child Abuse” by poisoning.
She has since been extradited back to the Jackson County Jail, in Mississippi.
According to court records, Hensley is being held on a $500,000 bond. It is unclear if she has a lawyer.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
Correction: This article was amended on Nov. 4. It originally stated that Hensley was from Minnesota. However, that was innacurate, as she is actually from Mississippi.
