Mother charged after 2-month-old dies just days after regaining custody, police say

CLINTON, Miss. (WLBT/Gray News) – A mother has been charged in the death of her infant at a Mississippi hotel just days after she regained custody of the child, police say.

The Clinton Police Department said Darla Luke has been charged with felony child neglect.

Police said officers were called Tuesday morning to the Econo Lodge in Clinton, located about 10 miles west of Jackson. The hotel manager told police that around 10 a.m., he heard Luke screaming from inside a hotel room. Other neighbors also heard the screams and called 911.

Upon arriving, officers found a dead 2-month-old baby inside the room.

According to the hotel manager, five people had been living in the hotel room for a month and a half. The other children living in the hotel room have been placed with their grandmother.

Luke was previously charged with misdemeanor child neglect on June 7, authorities said. At some point between June 7 and June 21, when the infant died, the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services returned the children to her custody.

This case is still under investigation. Police did not release further details.