A 22-year-old mother of two is facing charges of felony murder and first-degree child abuse after the death of her six-month-old child. Early reports show that the mother left the baby unattended for multiple days. New details reveal that during that time, she left to smoke weed with friends.
The Details
Lovily Johnson was arraigned Monday in Wyoming, Michigan after the death of her son, Noah Johnson. She is being held without bond. The baby died after days of what appears to be extreme neglect. On July 19, Johnson brought Noah to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. Court records show that the baby had already been dead for some time.
According to local sources, Johnson strapped the baby into a car seat and left him alone in a bedroom for at least two days. On July 17, she left Noah alone for around 12 hours. She apparently gave him a bottle earlier that morning but did not change Noah’s diaper.
Throughout that day, she said she visited friends. She smoked weed with them but failed to check on Noah. Then, on July 18, Johnson again left her home. Noah was still alone in the bedroom.
She did not check on Noah until the morning of July 19. When she found Noah unresponsive, she brought him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Files on the case said that the baby’s body was already beginning to decompose. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, Johnson was arrested. She is facing charges of murder and first-degree child abuse.
Previous Legal Problems
This is not the first time Johnson has run into legal problems involving children. Earlier this month, police responded to a call that a baby had been left alone in a hot car.
When they arrived, officers found Noah alone in a car belonging to Johnson’s boyfriend. They also found a glass weed pipe, a bong, and a bag full of what investigators said was probably cannabis.
Additionally, when Noah was born, he was found to have traces of cannabis in his system. The same thing happened when Johnson’s other child, a daughter who is now two years old, was born. In light of all this, the state is now petitioning to take custody of Johnson’s daughter.
