A New Jersey mom has been arrested after she allegedly got high in her parked car, leaving her two-year-old daughter to die in the rear seat.
Deanna J Joseph, 39, of Alloway Township, left her daughter unattended for hours in the car on Saturday, and when she came around she realized the girl was dead, police claim.
‘It appeared the child was confined in a car seat for an extended period of time while the mother was under the influence of drugs, and may have injured herself in the car seat,’ Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan told NJ.com on Sunday.
Arrested: Deanna Joseph (left in mugshot, right in her car) was arrested Saturday after her daughter was found dead in the back of her car. Joseph was high in the front seat, cops said
Mother: Joseph (pictured with her daughter in a picture uploaded to Facebook in June) has at least three other children and has been convicted of child neglect before
Joseph, who appears to have had at least four children, called 911 at 9:45pm to report that her daughter wasn’t responsive.
When first responders arrived at her home on Timberman Road the child was dead, police said.
The cause of the child’s death has yet to be determined, but there was no evidence of blunt force trauma, police said – only an unspecified ‘injury’.
The night was cool, but the heating had been turned on in the car, which was parked in the driveway, they added.
Joseph has been charged with second-degree child endangerment and could face up to 10 years in prison. This is her third such arrest in nine years.
In 2014, Joseph was convicted of child cruelty and neglect after police found her unconscious alongside her 11-month-old son, who was partially submerged in a bath, NJ.com reported at the time.
Next to Joseph’s unconscious body were spoons, envelopes containing heroin residue and two crack rocks.
She received a year in jail and was released just over a year ago.
And in 2008, Joseph was arrested after leaving her other two children, aged 11 and 2, alone at home so she could get high in a parking lot.
Those children were taken into custody, although it’s not clear for how long, according to reports at the time.
Over the last 20 years Joseph has also been convicted on charges from seven arrests ranging from possession of heroin and cocaine to resisting arrest or eluding after being told to stop.
Drugs: In 2014, Joseph (seen in latest mugshots) was convicted for getting high while her son was in the back. In 2008 she was charged with leaving two kids home alone to go take drugs