I've heard the urban legends about people putting their pets
in microwaves, but this is one of the sickest things I've ever
heard about.
Lanexa, Va. - Authorities are investigating whether a sever
epileptic seizure could have caused a mother in this rural
Virginia town to become so disoriented that she put her 1-month-
old baby into a microwave oven, killing it.
The death of Joseph Lewis Martinez has stunned this tight-
knit community 35 miles east of Richmond. No Charges have been
filed, but Commonwealth's Attorney C. Linwood Gregory and the
New Kent County Sherriff's Office are conducting a criminal
investigation. The State medical examiner, who said the baby
had burns resembling those a microwave oven would cause,
performed an autopsy but has not released a cause of death
pending further tests.
Elizabeth Renee Otte, 19, the mother of the child was taking
medication for epilepsy, friends and authorities say.
Authorities would reveal little about their investigation,
declining to say whether they believe Otte put the baby in the
microwave. But the investigation is focusing on her.
A law enforcement source, speaking on the condition of
anonymity, said authorities are researching wheter Otte's
epilepsy could have caused hallucinations and bizarre
behavior.
According to the Landover, Md.-base Epilepsy Foundation of
America, an epileptic seizure focused on one part of the brain
could lead a sufferer to become temporarily confused and to
commit unconscious acts.
