YOLO COUNTY—The infant who was found dead last week in a swampy area near the Sacramento River in a remote area of Yolo County had tested positive for methamphetamine when he was born in February.
The mother of baby Justice Rees, Samantha Green, 23 was arrested on Saturday, February 28 at 12:15 a.m. and charged with one open count of murder in the death of her 20-day-old son Justice Reese. She was found disheveled and disoriented on Tuesday, February 24 near the Sacramento River in the town of Knights Landing, about 30 miles east of Sacramento.
It was revealed that Baby Justice Rees was born with meth in his system.
The news about meth in the infant’s system came as the child’s paternal grandmother, Patricia Rees, awaited Green’s arraignment, which was today, in Yolo Superior Court. Green was formally charged with involuntary manslaughter, a misdemeanor, and felony child endangerment, with enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury on a child under five during the commission of a felony.
“It is true that baby Justice was born with meth in his system,” Mrs. Rees wrote. “Samantha and Justice immediately became a CPS case. CPS met with Frank [Rees, the baby’s father] and Samantha and my husband and I. We put together a safety plan since they live with us.”
Following that meeting, she said the new parents both tested clean and were adjusting to being new parents.
“During Samantha’s pregnancy she had hormonal mood swings as we all do, but I never suspected she was using meth,” said Rees. “They loved Justice and I know in my heart that she would never intentionally harm him.”
A preliminary autopsy on the baby suggests that he died from drowning or hypothermia.
Frank Rees remained in Yolo County custody and is scheduled to appear at a hearing today on warrants unrelated to the baby’s death. The warrants are for offenses that include driving while on a license revoked for DUI, and failure to appear in Yolo County Court, as well as driving under the influence and child endangerment in Lake County. He also has four other children.
Yolo Superior Court Records also show that Frank has past struggles with addiction. He was committed to the California Rehabilitation Center for drug addiction following his sentencing in October 2010 for theft charges.
According court documents, he completed the center’s Civil Addict Program—designed for the treatment and control of criminally committed narcotic addicts—and was discharged in July 2013.
