Police: Smothered baby had meth in blood; mom charged

Mother under meth’s influence when boy died, authorities say.

A month after giving birth to her second baby, Audra Diane Wood traveled to Georgia to visit family, she wrote in an online post.

But on the first night in a Cobb County hotel room, Wood accidentally smothered

her newborn to death Feb. 28, 2020.

“The paramedics came but unfortunately it was too late and the unimaginable became a reality,” Wood posted on a Gofundme page last March. “My baby boy Quincey had passed away and I was crushed.”

Now, the 28-year-old is in the Cobb jail, charged with murder in the baby’s death.

According to investigators, Wood was under the influence of methamphetamine when her 1-monthold died. After the February 2020 death, a toxicology report revealed the newborn also had meth in his body. In December, a warrant was issued for her arrest.

“Accused was under the influence of methamphetamine, based upon the illicit substance being present within her blood,” a Smyrna officer wrote in the warrant. “Your affiant further discovered based upon the results of said victim’s autopsy report, the infant juvenile male victim had also been under the influence of methamphetamine, as it too was located within his blood.”

According to Wood, her older son was taken into protective custody after the baby’s death.

“So now I am stuck & scared here in Georgia with no money, no place to live, and without my son Blake,” Wood posted online. “All I want to do is get my son Blake back, get back home, and give my baby Quincey a final resting place. I am asking for help to do this because everything costs money and everything adds up quickly. I am also now considering the possibility of seeking legal counsel, for a multitude of reasons, but that would also be another cost that I just can’t afford.”

In December, Smyrna police charged Wood with murder and two counts of second-degree cruelty to children, her warrant states.

On Tuesday night, Cobb deputies arrested the woman at the Atlanta airport. She was booked into the Cobb jail, where she was being held Wednesday without bond.

Audra Diane Wood, 28, was held with bond Wednesday in the Cobb County jail.