Lalonie Vanessa Troup was told by the Cobb County Juvenile Court not to have contact with her child unsupervised and to follow proper baby sleep procedures provided to her.
But she didn’t listen.
On Dec. 1, Marietta police responded to Troup’s home regarding an unresponsive child. Troup’s son Zion Kingston was found dead. A preliminary investigation determined he had been dead for some time, Officer Chuck McPhilamy said.
Police later determined Troup took Kingston from his crib and placed him in her bed, where he suffocated. She was arrested Friday afternoon at her home.
Authorities first investigated Troup at WellStar Kennestone Hospital in July when Marietta police received reports an acquaintance was giving Troup narcotics while she was in labor with Zion, McPhilamy said.
The Division of Family and Children Services were notified of the allegations and began visiting Troup, who tested positive for opiates, according to an arrest warrant.
“Their goal was to ensure the child’s safety and provide Lalonie infant sleeping and parenting instructions,” McPhilamy said.
Troup was assigned a DFCS case manager and given baby sleep directions indicating an infant must sleep on his back. Medical documents indicate at an Aug. 7 check-in, Troup responded “yes” when asked if a baby sleeps on his back, the warrant alleges.
But authorities say Troup refused to follow them and continuously put Zion in danger.
On Nov. 17, Troup was found drunk and passed out behind the wheel of her car at a stop sign with Zion in the back seat improperly secured. Police say heroin was also found on her. She was charged with DUI and child endangerment.
Authorities placed Zion, then 3 months old, in protective custody, but would later send him home with his mother and grandmother Kim Troup, according to the warrant. The court stipulated Lalonie Troup was not allowed unsupervised contact with him. The court granted custody to Kim Troup.
Police say Lalonie Troup ignored the order, and instead took Zion to a private bedroom, where she fed him and placed him face down on a bed with soft bedding. Kim Troup was not around.
Lalonie Troup remains in the Cobb County jail on a $25,000 bond. She faces involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct charges.
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