A South Carolina woman has been charged with unlawful conduct towards a child after a diabetic teen in her care drank a milkshake and then died, officials say.
50-year-old Shirl Lee Sweeney allegedly let a 17-year-old girl in her care drink a milkshake, knowing the teen was diabetic and that the drink would have adverse consequences on her health. Following the consumption of the milkshake, the teen began vomiting, but was not taken to the hospital until the next day, when Sweeney found her on the bathroom floor.
The girl was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead.
A probable cause affidavit demonstrates that Sweeney was advised by medical staff that using insulin "was not optional" following an incident in Sept. 2021 where the girl was hospitalized for having high blood sugar. The hospitalization followed multiple canceled and "no-show" medical appointments missed by the teen.
"Since September 2021, until the victim's death on August 13, 2022, the victim was never taken back to her pediatric endocrinologist," the affidavit reads.
Medical staff reportedly stressed the importance of bringing the girl to the hospital if she were to start vomiting. This was because vomiting could be a symptom of a potentially fatal condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis. Sweeney reportedly "verbalized understanding this," according to the affidavit.
"While on the phone with 911 dispatch, the Defendant was heard saying, 'I knew she shouldn't [have] had that milkshake,'" the affidavit says. "The cause of death was listed as hyperosmolar ketoacidosis due to diabetes mellitus. The manner of death was listed as a homicide."
Sweeney is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 22.
