Remorseless mother kills disabled baby by putting hand sanitizer through feeding tube

A mother has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after she killed her disabled child in a horrific way.

Screen Shot 2015-09-21 at 11.06.35

by Ellie Hooper |
Published on

Despite appearing to dote on her baby boy - who was born with Down's syndrome and a heart defect - Erika Wigstrom murdered him by injecting hand sanitiser into his feeding tube.

The Louisiana woman was given the maximum sentence for manslaughter - receiving 40 years in jail without the possibility of probation.

Tragically, Erika had made all sorts of promises to her unborn baby as she incubated him in 2012.

On Twitter, she wrote the poignant message: ‘I’ll do whatever I have to, as long as you have a good and happy life,’

She added ‘My heart and my love’ in another tweet, whilst sharing snaps of her growing baby bump.

But just two years later, and Wigstrom would kill her baby by injecting hand sanitiser into his feeding tube after realising what a hard life her son would face.

And shockingly this wasn’t Erika’s first attempt to kill her child.

The same year Lucas Ruiz was born, while he was in hospital, the infant suddenly began having seizures.

When they tested him, they found he had a blood alcohol level of .289 - three times the legal driving limit for a grown adult.

As police questioned Erika, she told them her child would be ‘better off dead.’

But after the boy’s father confessed to trying to kill the child, and went to jail, Erika was left alone with her baby.

In January 2014, she succeeded in her quest to kill her disabled baby - putting hand sanitiser through the feeding tube until he was unresponsive.

She also confessed to having poisoned him previously with perfume back in 2012, which cleared the boy’s father - who was later released.

Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us