A New Mexico father and stepmother who got drunk with their suicidal, drug-addicted 15-year-old son have been charged with child abuse resulting in death. The teen lost consciousness after a night drinking with the couple and died in a local hospital 10 days later, ABC News reports. The couple initially denied drinking with the boy, who had also taken opiates, and doctors told police that not knowing exactly what he had ingested hindered their ability to treat him.
Police say the couple were well aware that the boy, who had recently moved from Colorado, where he lived with his mother, had substance abuses issues and was prone to self-destructive behavior. "Since the boy had suicidal tendencies and previous rehab stints for alcohol and drug abuse, the fact that his father and stepmother allowed him to consume alcohol is kind of like feeding gas to a fire," a police spokesman says. (More child abuse stories.)