Mother tried to poison daughter who has Down syndrome

An Upstate mother is accused of trying to murder her daughter who has Down syndrome by poisoning her with medication.

Pamela Ann Contreras, 68, of Spartanburg, has been charged with attempted murder and abuse of a vulnerable adult. Contreras put prescription drugs in her daughter’s drink in an attempt to kill her, according to arrest warrants.

A police officer responded to an attempted suicide on Dec. 7.

The officer arrived to Contreras’ apartment and found her daughter in the kitchen holding a glass of orange liquid with a powdery substance along the edge, according to an incident report.

The officer took the drink from the victim, who would not speak. Contreras later told the officer that her daughter does not talk.

Contreras said she used a pill grinder to grind up medication that she placed in her daughter’s drink. She then planned to stab her to death when she passed out, the report states.

Contreras told the officer that she feared no one would care for her daughter after she died. She claimed she also drank a similar mixture, but an officer noted in the report that Contreras’ glass was mostly full, while her daughter’s large glass only had around two inches of liquid left in the bottom.

Both women were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Contreras was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center on Tuesday.