A 1-year-old child died after being fed waterbeads, batteries, and acetone.
Aleisia Owens, 21, the girlfriend of the baby Iris’ father, had been arrested for intentionally feeding the child harmful items. According to police, the child died of organ failure, a result of acetone poisoning.
The baby’s mother first took the girl to the hospital, after changing her diaper and finding “water beads.” Over the next few days, Iris passes about 20 water beads. She also passes 3 button-shaped batteries, and a metal screw. After 4 days, the baby can go home with her mother.
Pennsylvania Child Youth Services, CYS, inspects both parents’ homes and, according to Newsweek, finds no issue at either residence. Iris lives with her mother full-time, but she continues to visit her dad at his house where Bailey Jacoby lives with his girlfriend, Aleisia Lynnae Owens.
During a weekend visitation at her father’s house, Bailey Jacoby goes to the grocery store, leaving Iris with his live-in girlfriend. As he prepares to check out at the grocery store, Owens calls Jacoby and tells him that something is wrong with Iris, she isn’t acting like herself, and she is unresponsive.
Jacoby tells Owens to call 911. Emergency responders note that Iris is breathing but with a fixed gaze and weak response. She’s transported to the hospital and she dies four days later.
The homicide investigation heats up when investigators discovered Bailey Jacoby’s live-in girlfriend, the last person to be with Iris alone, Aleisia Lynnae Owens, had been researching online the harm that water beads and batteries can cause children before the child ingesting the items. The Attorney General’s Office confirms that Owens also conducted online research into household items that could cause serious harm or death to children.
Forensic extractions of Owen’s cell phone show she searched online for topics such as,
- “If your child drinks a lot of nail polish remover, what happens,”
- “What happens if a baby eats nail polish,”
- “How many cases have there been from babies dying from eating nail polish.”
Another search on Owens’ phone reads,
- “In how many cases have kids died from eating water beads”
- “water beads harmful”
- “Water beads near me”
- “Beauty products that are poisonous to kids”
During the days while Iris Alfera was in the hospital as well as the day after she passed away, investigators discovered numerous online searches conducted on Aleisia Owen’s phone for information on how to pass a polygraph test.
Joining Nancy Grace Today
Additional Guests
- Candise Alfera – Grandmother of Iris; Facebook: Iris’ Angels
- Frank Alfera- Grandfather of Iris
- Larry Forletta – (New Castle, PA) Private Investigator, Founder & CEO of Forletta Investigative Security Consulting; Former Law Enforcement
“Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” on Fox Nation is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at noon EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.
[Feature Photo: Iris/Family Handout]
