Lacey Spears, the mom convicted in 2015 of murdering her 5-year-old son with a lethal dose of salt, has spoken out to CBS' 48 Hours in her first interview since her incarceration — and she maintains she's innocent.
“I didn’t hurt him. I didn’t kill my son," the Kentucky native told CBS News in her 48 Hours special, A Mother Accused. "I never poisoned him with salt."
Garnett died in January 2014 from what doctors described as a life-threatening level of sodium in his system, according to many outlets. In the years leading up to the little one's death, medical experts were unable to find answers for Garnett's inexplicable illness, which caused seizure-like symptoms. He also suffered from ear infections, digestive problems and more, according to his medical records (via the Washington Post).
His mother, now 27, meanwhile, began documenting Garnett's mysterious ailments on social media in 2009, which eventually transitioned into blogging. Her final blog post on the site "Garnett's Journey" included pictures of her sick little boy dressing up for Halloween and laughing on a play set. "Here's to another year. Many memories. Lots of laughs," she concluded. "Most of all hoping we both find peace, balance, happiness and light."
Doctors finally discovered the answer to Garnett's mysterious ailment during his final visit to the hospital in 2014: The young boy had suffered from toxic levels of sodium in his bloodstream.
The prosecution argued Spears gave the little boy high doses of sodium through his stomach tube, which induced brain swelling and ultimately led to Garnett's death. Evidence presented at the trial included a feeding bag found in Spears' apartment that a forensic toxicologist testified had the equivalent of 69 bags of McDonald's salt packets in it, according to the Associated Press.
Spears was found guilty of second-degree murder in 2015, and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
During her trial she made national headlines for suffering from Munchausen by proxy, a condition which leads a caregiver to fake or cause the illness of his or her ward. “I do not have Munchausen by proxy,” Spears alleged in her sit-down. "I didn’t harm him in any way. I seeked help for him diligently because I was his advocate."
“I lost my 5-year-old son. He’s not here today. I loved every part of who he was," she told 48 Hours. "And I’m very saddened that I’ll never get to watch him grow up."
Tune in to Spears' 48 Hours interview on Saturday, April 9, at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.
