Idaho mom charged with murder after baby dies from meth overdose

SALMON, Idaho — A 25-year-old woman is being charged with first degree murder after her six-month-old daughter died of a methamphetamine overdose.

Lemhi County Prosecutor Bruce Withers announced the charge against Heather Elam Monday afternoon.

The baby, Serenity Gail Elmore, died over a year ago on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015.

According to Lemhi County Sheriff Lynn Bowerman, Elam reported the baby was found unresponsive at her home.

"My office responded and we believed it was SIDS," Bowerman tells EastIdahoNews.com. "An autopsy was performed and it was (discovered that) a lethal dose of meth (was) in the child's stomach."

Bowerman said autopsies are performed on all infants who die in Lemhi County. The results of the autopsy were recently returned to county officials.

Serenity was born on July 3, 2014 in Idaho Falls.

Elam is already incarcerated at the Pocatello Woman's Correctional Center. She was sentenced to a rider drug rehabilitation program stemming from a April 2015 charge of possession of a controlled substance.

Idaho State Police served Elam with charging documents today at the Correctional Center. Charging documents show Elam could receive 10 years to life in prison.

Withers said the prosecutor's office will not be pursuing the death penalty in this case.