Mom who used meth has stillborn at Packard Hospital

October 9, 2023 6:32 pm

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer

A baby was stillborn at the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto because his mother was using meth, according to an autopsy report from the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office.

The mother won’t be charged with a crime, according to Sean Webby, a spokesman for the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

“Our office is not involved in investigations or prosecutions related to stillborn deaths,” he said. “These are terrible tragedies, but not ones that we investigate or prosecute.”

Anthony Lawrence Pacheco Jr. was stillborn on May 6. He was 31 weeks along, according to the autopsy report.

Pacheco’s mother’s name wasn’t included in the autopsy report. His father, who has the same name, has a criminal history going back to 2005 in Santa Clara County. Most recently, he was arrested last year for stealing people’s personal information, like their mail or checks, and possessing ammunition as a convicted felon, according to the DA’s office.

Court records indicate the father lives in San Jose.

Underdeveloped brain

Pachecho’s body was the same size as other fetuses at a similar age, except his brain was underdeveloped, according to the autopsy report.

The mother had a history of meth use and tested positive at the hospital, according to the autopsy report.

Palo Alto police didn’t investigate the case, Lt. Con Maloney said.

Pacheco’s liver tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine, a chemical that forms when methamphetamine is metabolized, according to the autopsy report.

The effects of meth

“High doses of methamphetamine can elicit restlessness, confusion, hallucinations, circulatory collapse and convictions,” forensic toxicologist Brianna Peterson said.

Assistant Medical Examiner Carolin Bocking ruled the death an accident.

7 Comments

  1. Curious. The father is identified in the article, but the mother, the person who actually consumed the drugs which killed the baby, is not identified to protect her privacy.

    • Maybe they think the mother is suffering enough having a stillborn. Stillborns happen with/without drug abuse. You have to be a mother (or at least a woman) to be able to relate.

      • Possibly, but why is the father named? There is no showing that he caused the stillbirth in any way, so why is he presumed to somehow be responsible enough that he should have his name published?

      • Yea, but in this case the baby was murdered by his mom who was using drugs. I can’t relate to murder. I guess you can. Being a mother makes murder easier to accept?

  2. They’re not charging her with a crime. If she was being charged with a crime, it would be a different story. If you can’t understand privacy towards a mother who gave birth to a stillborn child, you’re ignorant. And you shouldn’t be a parent.

    They’re naming the father because he has a criminal record. If criminals don’t want to be named, they should’ve thought of that prior to committing a crime.

    • The Bay Area contains 10’s of thousands of people with criminal records, and they’re not listed in news stories unless there is some relevance to the story, and even then, it is done cautiously. Here, there is no showing that the father had any connection to the baby’s death or the mother’s drug use. If you can’t understand that, you shouldn’t be reproducing and creating a murky gene pool.

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