Baby, unconscious woman found in bathroom
WEST PALM BEACH — A 5-month-old boy was found Wednesday night in his car seat crying on a McDonald’s bathroom floor while a woman lay unconscious next to him, the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office said.
The baby had a small bite mark on his arm, possibly from sucking on his arm due to hunger.
When restaurant employees finally awakened Kristan Lucas, the 30-year-old Stuart woman said that she had passed out from a dizzy spell at the suburban West Palm Beach restaurant, according to a sheriff ’s report.
Investigators found a hypodermic needle on the bathroom sink shortly before arresting Lucas and charging her with child neglect. An arrest report made public Thursday does not specify Lucas’ relationship to the child. Authorities say the child was “extremely dehydrated” and sitting in a wet diaper when paramedics found him.
Deputies and paramedics responded shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday to the McDonald’s at Okeechobee Boulevard and Jog Road.
A woman related to Lucas told sheriff ’s investigators that Lucas has an extensive drug past and had recently left a detox center, according to the report. She was taken Wednesday night to JFK Medical Center North in West Palm Beach for treatment. During a search at the hospital, a metal spoon was found in her pocket, the report said.
An employee at the McDonald’s told investigators she saw a woman go into the bathroom at about 5 p.m. The employee went into the bathroom about 2½ hours later and found Lucas on the floor in a bathroom stall, the report said.
Lucas remained in the Palm Beach County Jail on Thursday afternoon, with her bail set at $4,500. A spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Families said that shelter is being provided for the baby and at least one other child connected to the case.