BREAKING NEWS: Woman Charged In Baby's Death

LAKE PLACID - The cause of death of an 8-month-old girl on Aug. 13 was morphine intoxication, according to Highlands County Sheriff's Det. Bob Neale, referring to a report from the District 10 Medical Examiner's Office.

As a result, Diane Frances Friesen-Meier, 41, of 1105 W. Gloria St., Avon Park, has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.

"The lady was in possession of morphine at the time of her arrest," Neale said Thursday.

Friesen happened to be at a Lake Placid home when the baby's family arrived, said Neale. When the baby was crying uncontrollably, she reportedly offered the baby's mother, Jennifer Perry, 31, of Port Charlotte, some Xanax "to calm (the baby) down."

Perry reportedly told investigators she refused Friesen offer.

However, according to the victim's brother, who was sharing a room with the baby, he saw Friesen pick the baby up and take her out of the room.

Another witness reported seeing Friesen enter the room with the infant and give her what appeared to be a bottle.

Friesen reportedly called her husband during the night and told him she was "caring for a child" who was ill and given a "cocktail."

When Friesen came home she was distraught and told her husband the baby was in (Florida Hospital Lake Placid) and might die."

Friesen reportedly told investigators she gave some of her Xanax pills to Perry. She also showed investigators how the pills were crushed up and a small portion was placed into the baby's bottle.

However, according to Neale, Friesen denies she crushed up any pills, nor placed any of the medication into a bottle for the child to consume.

She told investigators she took the baby during the night and prepared a bottle during the night and that she believed the baby died because she was poisoned.

Jennifer Perry was arrested on a charge of obstructing, by making a false statement to sheriff's investigators in regard to the medication, according to Neale. She was freed on $500 bail.

To make matters worse for the family, during a child dependency hearing at the Highlands County Courthouse, the baby's father, Wayne Edward Perry, 41, of Port Charlotte, became upset and on his way out of the courthouse bumped into a writer, his arrest report stated.

Because of Wayne Perry's demeanor, the writer followed him out of the courtroom. The writer reported hearing a crash and reported seeing a heavy metal directional sign on the floor outside of the courtroom.

Perry was stopped by law enforcement and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting a law enforcement officer without violence.

Wayne Perry was freed on $750 bail.

The investigation is continuing, Neale said.