Police in Phoenix have charged a mother with murder after a horrifying incident involving her two children. Sara Lashae Harris, 24, allegedly left her 17-month-old and 1-month-old daughters alone in her home for at least 37 hours back in July 2023. When Harris returned to her apartment more than a day later, her baby was reportedly dead.
There were reportedly inconsistencies in the story the panicked mother told the police, and after a months-long investigation, she was finally arrested January 5. She faces child abuse and murder charges in connection with the July tragedy.
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Harris reportedly lived in a shelter.
Harris and her daughters resided in a shelter, per court documents obtained by Fox 10, and she was reportedly told by someone at the facility that her children needed to be supervised at all times.
"Multiple emails were observed from the shelter [Harris] was living at, advising her that she could not leave her children alone on the property," read a portion of the court documents. "A text conversation was observed on [Harris'] cell phone between [Harris] and an unknown person on July 28, 2023, between [11:18 a.m.] to [3:22 p.m.]," the documents stated.
The mother reportedly left the apartment July 28 and returned July 30.
Court documents detailed a text exchange between Harris and an unknown person that alluded to a sexual encounter, possibly for money, on Friday, July 28, Fox 10 reported. She allegedly left the apartment briefly after the exchange but returned. Later that evening, she reportedly left the home and did not return until Sunday.
Upon her return, she reportedly found the infant unresponsive.
Per police, Harris returned to the apartment on July 30, and the infant was dead. She allegedly called her parents for help, who in turn called 911. When police arrived, they found the infant on a mattress on the floor.
The baby's death was caused by "tracheal mucus plugging in the setting on Rhinovirus Enterovirus, Chlorpheniramine intoxication, and unsafe sleep environment," Fox 10 reported.
She allegedly claimed the infant was ill that Friday night.
Harris told police she gave the baby ibuprofen on Friday evening because she was fussy. She said she carried her around the apartment and laid her down to sleep. After executing a search warrant, investigators reportedly found other medications in the home.
"Investigators located a bottle of Children's NyQuil for 6 years and older, red in color, and a syringe with red liquid remnants that appeared the same color as the NyQuil in the kitchen on top of the microwave," read a portion of the court documents.
"Investigators also located a shopping bag in the trash can, which was similar to the one [Harris] was carrying in the surveillance footage entering the apartment. Also, in the trash can, investigators located a baby bottle filled with what appeared to be white milk, that had a pinkish hue to it and red liquid in the nipple of the bottle," court documents state.
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Harris could spend a long time in jail if she's found guilty.
She was charged with second-degree murder in connection with her infant daughter's death and faces child abuse charges related to her other daughter, aAccording to Fox 10. If convicted of murder, according to Arizona law, she could receive a sentence of at least 10 years in prison.
