Lethal dose of morphine leads to baby’s death; mother arrested, deputies say
By Stephanie Moore
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ANDERSON COUNTY, South Carolina (WYFF) — A lethal dose of morphine led to the death of a baby in Anderson County, South Carolina, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
The child died in December 2025 at AnMed Health after being taken to the hospital from a home on Howland Drive.
The coroner identified the child as 10-month-old Talayah Lucille Donaldson.
“One child death is too many and it’s just tragic, it’s tragic for the family, the neighbors, the friends, the first responders, it’s just so tragic and we are so sorry that we had to investigate a death like this,” Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore said.
After the death, detectives said they interviewed several people, including the child’s mother, Tynisha Lashae Jones, 34.
They said a search was also done at the home and specimens were sent to be tested.
Lab results – the first which authorities said were returned in April – showed a high dose of morphine in the child’s blood and the death was ruled a homicide, the sheriff’s office announced Monday.
“What this case came down to was, the specimen was sent, the results were received and then our suspicions were immediately raised because children should not have morphine at all in their system, it’s not administered by any hospital or EMS staff that we knew of in Anderson County,” Anderson County Sgt. Kendall Cash said.
Authorities said the lab specimens were retested a second and third time after the initial positive test at the SLED lab.
“When we have a positive test we certainly want to make sure that it is positive and those drugs are indeed in fact a factor in that death, so in this case, the test was run more times,” Shore added.
Through an investigation and follow up interviews after the positive test, detectives said they determined Jones was responsible for giving the 10-month-old morphine.
She was arrested on Sept. 25 and charged with homicide by child abuse. Her bond was denied.
“It would be enough (morphine) for a grown person to overdose,” Sgt. Cash added. “Rest assured , the Anderson County Sheriff’s office remains committed to investigating child abuse cases, any kind of homicide case, whether it be of an adult, or an infant, a toddler.”
WYFF 4 spoke with Jones’ mother Monday morning on the phone. She said the extended family is devastated and surprised by the arrest and said it’s another blow following the death of the child.
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