Munnsville (WSYR-TV) – When they responded to reports of a 3-year-old child being beaten Tuesday evening in Munnsville, State Police say they arrived to find a woman who was “violently combative” and may have been high on bath salts before she died at the hospital.
According to police, 911 received numerous reports that a woman at a Madison County apartment complex was assaulting a child and was beginning to assault a neighbor. When a trooper arrived to take 35-year-old Pamela McCarthy into custody, she appeared to be high on an illegal substance.
After the trooper was unable to handcuff her, he said she continued to resist and pepper spray had no effect on her.
The trooper used his taser to subdue McCarthy and was able to handcuff her with the help of emergency personnel on the scene. McCarthy then went into cardiac arrest and was taken to the Oneida Health Care Facility, where she died.
The child was taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse and was treated for minor injuries before being released to family members.
Police say evidence at the scene suggests McCarthy was high on bath salts.
An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday to determine the cause of death.
The Madison County District Attorney’s Office was consulted and plans to present the case to a grand jury after an investigation, according to State Police.
