A Florida babysitter is facing serious charges after being accused of poisoning an 11-month-old boy with antifreeze. This alarming incident has led to Anna Marie Adamo being charged with aggravated child abuse, attempted murder, and poisoning food or water with intent to cause harm. These charges are outlined in a probable cause affidavit filed in the case.
Authorities began their investigation in February after the young boy was hospitalized with ethylene glycol poisoning, a dangerous chemical found in antifreeze. The boy’s mother recounted that she had left her son in Adamo’s care on the morning of February 12. She noted that her child, who was not yet crawling or walking, appeared healthy and well when she dropped him off. She had breastfed him before leaving him with Adamo, also providing two 3.5-ounce bottles of breast milk and some solid food.
Throughout the day, the mother maintained contact with the babysitter through text messages. At around 2:30 p.m., Adamo texted her, indicating that the child seemed tired and inquiring whether she could lay him down for a nap.
This unfolding case raises significant concerns and highlights the need for vigilance and trust in childcare situations. As the legal proceedings continue, the community watches closely, hoping for justice and healing for the affected family.
Adamo by kc wildmoon
She said she kept in touch with the babysitter by text throughout the day, and that Adamo texted at about 2:30 p.m. and said the child was tired and asking if she could put him down for a nap.
About an hour later, the child’s grandmother picked him up from the babysitter and brought him to her home, noting that he appeared more tired than usual and “fell asleep immediately.” She met up with the boy’s mother about two hours later and that he was still sleeping, appearing “lethargic, unalert, and not able to hold his head up.” She told the father “something isn’t right.”
On the way home, the boy began to vomit “a clear sticky, odd smelling vomit.” She called her husband, who directed her to an emergency room, where doctors initially suspected flu or pneumonia. The boy was transferred to a different hospital which was better equipped to handle those illnesses, but while there he had a “full cardiac arrest,” prompting staff to perform CPR for 10 minutes.
The boy was taken to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami in critical condition, where tests ruled out diseases. That’s when he tested positive for crystal oxilate, which comes only from a genetic condition or antifreeze poisoning. The boy tested negative for the genetic condition and remained in hospital for a week.
Investigators spoke with Adamo, who told them she’d given the boy a 1-ounce bottle at about 11 a.m., and not one of the two larger bottles his mother had left with her. She also told them that her husband did not come home for lunch even though security cameras showed that he did.
She further refused to speak with investigators without her husband’s presence, and he ended the interview when detectives confronted her with poisoning accusations from 2014. In those accusations, Adamo was again the babysitter when a child testied positive for high levels of ethylene glycol, although no criminal charges were ever filed in that case.
A warrant was issued for Adamo’s arrest on October 3, and she was taken into custody in Valdosta, Georgia, where she now lives. She was brought back to Florida on October 14 and given a $600,000 bond, court records show.
