19-Day-Old Froze to Death After Mom High on Meth Swims in & Sleeps at Slough

While high on meth, Samantha Green swam the Ridge Cut Slough with her 19-day-old infant late at night searching for her boyfriend who she suspected of cheating on her. She slept underneath a tree with the infant, emerging without him the next day. Police later found Justice frozen to death underneath the tree wearing only a gray onesie.

====================================================

On the evening of February 23, 2015, Samantha Green swam across the 48-degree water in Ridge Cut Slough in California with her 19-day-old newborn, Justice Rees, while high on methamphetamine, hoping to catch her man cheating. Green had argued with Justice’s father and her boyfriend, Frank Rees, earlier in the day after he picked up a female friend from Knight’s Landing and admitted that he had sex with the woman.

Green spent the night on the banks of the Ridge Cut Slough with Justice on an evening when the day's high temperature was a chilly 52 degrees.

The following day, Green emerged from the Slough and walked about a mile to the cul-de-sac where she had parked her car the evening before. Green began screaming that she was kidnapped and her baby was missing and likely dead, attracting the attention of residents in the community who called the police.

Baby Justice Froze to Death

Baby Justice was found deceased underneath a tree in the slough hours later. He only wore a gray onesie. A medical examiner later determined he died from exposure.

“The child froze to death. In a manner of death that can only be described as slow and agonizing,” Deputy District Attorney Ryan Couzens said.

In March, police charged Samantha Green with second-degree murder in Justice’s death. She told police that her boyfriend injected her with “veterinary-size syringes” loaded with methamphetamines the day before the incident and claimed to be in a drug-induced psychosis when she took her baby to the slough.

Green, Rees “Unfit to be Parents”

During the investigation, authorities learned Rees and Green had an open case with Children’s Services. The couple were unfit to raise a child, yet social workers gave them a chance to be parents.

Justice tested positive for methamphetamines at birth, although Green and Rees promised a social worker they would not use drugs, signed a “safety plan” agreement, and took the baby home.

Samantha and Frank lived in the basement at his parent's home. Neither of them held jobs, nor gave Justice the attention he needed. The grandparents called social workers and informed them about their concerns, but they failed to act. Days later, Justice was dead.

Green, Rees Convicted, Sentenced to Prison Time

A jury convicted Green of second-degree murder. A judge later rejected her motion for a new trial and sentenced her to 15 years to life in prison.

Two years after Justice’s death, Frank Rees was charged with administering methamphetamine to Green, felony child endangerment, and manslaughter. He pleaded no contest to the charges in exchange for a deal sentencing him to six years in prison.

Rees was the father of a baby girl by the time authorities took him into custody. Police said that the woman was found in possession of methamphetamines, although they declined to comment on the baby, citing privacy laws.

Sources:

https://www.davisenterprise.com/news/crime_fire_courts/charged-with-manslaughter-dad-of-baby-justice-speaks-out-from-jail/article_821eb217-cbad-5a46-bba7-7eb05a059364.html

https://www.kcra.com/article/samantha-green-sentenced-to-prison-in-baby-justices-death/8484653

https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/baby-justices-mother-samantha-green-found-guilty-of-murder/

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thank you for reading this story. Follow me on Facebook @criminalmatterspage.