Sitter Charged in Drug Death of Infant

A North Hollywood baby-sitter who gave 14-month-old twins suffering from colds a “home mix” of adult prescription drugs that killed one and left the other ill, was charged Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter, child neglect and administering a controlled substance to a minor.

Melvine Kaiserauer, 42, is scheduled to be arraigned today in Van Nuys Municipal Court on charges of mistreating Christopher and Brandon Collins.

The Van Nuys brothers became ill Feb. 20 after Kaiserauer, who was watching them while their father did odd jobs at her apartment, gave them a mixture of old prescription drugs and children’s Tylenol after she noticed that they showed cold symptoms, Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Kenneth A. Loveman said.

“This was a home mix,” Loveman said. “We don’t know all of the drugs that went into this.”

The boys’ father, Roger Collins, later noticed that the boys were in “bad shape” and paramedics were called, Loveman said. Paramedics found that Christopher’s heart had stopped, and he was pronounced dead at Medical Center of North Hollywood. An autopsy concluded that the baby died of codeine and morphine poisoning, Loveman said.

Brandon recovered after being treated at the same hospital and later at Valley Presbyterian, officials said.

Loveman said that the boy’s death was accidental but that Kaiserauer was charged because she was criminally negligent.

“We have no reason to believe this was the result of any intentionally malicious act against the kids,” Loveman said. “It wasn’t done with a desire to hurt them.”

Kaiserauer, who is free on $5,000 bail, could not be reached for comment.

Loveman said evidence in the case shows that Kaiserauer gave the boys medicine from a container in which she had earlier mixed Tylenol, Tedral, Phenergan and other unidentified drugs. He said Kaiserauer might have mixed the drugs in the container in December. It is not known why she originally made the mixture, Loveman said.

Tedral and Phenergan are the brand names of adult prescription drugs. According to the Physicians’ Desk Reference, Tedral, which contains codeine, is used to treat asthma and Phenergan is used to treat allergies.

Tedral and Phenergan prescription bottles, along with a Tylenol container, were found in Kaiserauer’s home, Loveman said. He said that the Tedral bottle bore an expiration date of April, 1976, and that the Tylenol had an expiration date of April, 1985. The expiration date of the Phenergan was not known.

Kaiserauer faces one count of involuntary manslaughter and two counts each of child neglect and administering a controlled substance to a minor. If convicted of all five felonies, she could be sentenced to more than 10 years in prison.