Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Fort Worth Mother Arrested After Medical Examiner Rules Infant’s Meth Death a Homicide

Investigators say paraphernalia by the crib, positive drug tests, plus recorded admissions support a manslaughter charge.

Overview

  • Swanietra Cooke, 36, was arrested this week and charged with manslaughter in the July 2025 death of her 1-month-old son, Zachariah, and is held on a $75,000 bond.
  • The Tarrant County Medical Examiner determined the baby died from methamphetamine toxicity and ruled the death a homicide.
  • An arrest affidavit states Cooke had been smoking meth steps from the crib, and detectives found two glass pipes, including one in a bedside table next to the crib.
  • Cooke acknowledged the infant was born with meth in his system, and her oral swab and urine tests later returned positive for methamphetamine and benzodiazepines.
  • Records note statements that a second child reported routine smoking in the home and that the baby’s father said he and Cooke used meth together, with the case now moving through the courts.