Middlesex County Mom Loses Custody After Daughter Eats Orajel

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ — A Middlesex County mother lost custody of her youngest child when a judge ruled she neglected her daughters after one ate an entire tube of Orajel and the second was found with diaper rash from her navel to her ankles.

The name of the mother and what town she lives in was not released, but the decision was reported on by MyCentralJersey this week. She was only identified as a Middlesex County mother.

The state removed the 18-month-old toddler girl from the woman's care after she was found with the untreated diaper rash. The mother appealed, but an appellate court sided with the state.

The case started in 2014 when the woman's six-year-old daughter was admitted to a hospital in critical condition after she ate the entire tube of Orajel. The state Division of Child Protection and Permanency investigated and they went to the woman's apartment, where they found it to be in "a deplorable state," court papers say, smelling of urine, body odor and cigarettes, according to the report.

There was also garbage in the apartment, dishes piled in the sink and flies in the home. The bathtub was clogged and had a few inches of water in it, along with a Barbie doll, leading investigators to think a child was playing in the water. A bottle of Xanax was kept on a lower shelf accessible to children, right next to the Orajel.

The 18-month-old daughter had a diaper rash that was untreated for two week because their pediatrician was on vacation, according to the report.

A Superior Court judge found that the mother had the financial means to provide satisfactory living conditions for the child.

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