Grandmother Wanted On Murder Charge In Baby's Drug Overdose

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SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- The Sandy Springs Police Department is looking for a 45-year-old woman in connection to the drug overdose of her grandchild.

Officers with the agency responded around 10:57 a.m. March 11 to a call of an unresponsive child at the Legends at Dunwoody Apartments on Colquitt Road. Cops arrived on the scene to find a 9-month-old baby who had "no signs of life and was obviously deceased," Sandy Springs police said Friday.

The Sandy Springs Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division and the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene and started an investigation surrounding the death of the infant.

A toxicology and autopsy conducted revealed the baby died from an overdose of methamphetamine, forcing police to shift the probe to a murder investigation.

Throughout the investigation, detectives identified the baby's grandmother, 45-year-old Tonya Danyial Monroe, as the suspect.

Arrest warrants were issued June 14 for Monroe, and she is wanted on charges of felony murder, cruelty to children in the first degree and possession of methamphetamine. Monroe was last known to be driving a silver 2004 Toyota 4-Runner bearing Georgia tag RAL9819.

Her whereabouts are unknown at this time, and anyone who has information about Monroe's location is asked to contact Sandy Springs Detective S. Ortega at 770-551-6949 or sortega@sandyspringsga.gov.

To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta by phone at 404-577-TIPS (8477), on the internet at www.crimestoppersatlanta.org, or text the tip information to 274637 (CRIMES).

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Image via Sandy Springs Police Department