Woman Filled Daughter's Baby Bottle With Bleach: Hillsborough Sheriff

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — A mother faces charges for giving a relative a bottle containing bleach to feed her 13-month-old daughter earlier this year, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Melissa Barnes, 22, was charged with child abuse and child neglect.

A concerned relative found Barnes living in an unpowered shed with her baby on Jan. 2. The relative told deputies that the shed was “cold, cluttered and unsanitary.”

The relative took the child and tried to feed her, but the girl refused the bottle. When looking closely at the bottle, the relative discovered that it contained bleach, the sheriff’s office said.

When questioned about it, Barnes claimed to use bleach to rinse the bottle.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Special Victims Unit detectives conducted a full investigation, and immediately, the Department of Children and Families removed the child from Barnes' care and placed her with a relative.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for the shed, where they found bleach-based disinfectant and paint. The contents of the baby bottle were sent to the FBI laboratory for analysis, which confirmed the presence of chlorine-based bleach.

After receiving these findings from the lab, detectives obtained warrants on charges of child abuse and child neglect for Barnes’ arrest on May 28.

She was taken into custody Monday by the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office. She is jailed in Highlands County and will be brought to Hillsborough County.

"This case is deeply disturbing. No child deserves to be subjected to such dangerous and neglectful conditions," Sheriff Chad Chronister said. "The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is committed to protecting our community's most vulnerable, and we will work tirelessly to ensure that those who harm children are held accountable."