The Anderson County investigation stretched for months before testing and medical records led detectives to the child’s mother, authorities said.
ANDERSON, S.C. — An investigation that began with the death of a 10-month-old child at an Anderson medical center developed into a homicide case months later after laboratory testing showed a high level of morphine in the infant’s blood, authorities said.
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation began Dec. 12, 2025, when detectives were called to AnMed Medical Center. Investigators interviewed people connected to the case and searched a home while specimens were sent for testing. The results would later become a central part of the investigation, according to authorities.
Deputies said laboratory results received several months after the death showed a high dose of morphine in the child’s blood. Authorities said the death was then ruled a homicide. The sheriff’s office has not publicly released more detailed toxicology findings or disclosed additional medical information about the infant.
Investigators continued reviewing the evidence and medical records after receiving the laboratory findings. Authorities said that review led detectives to determine that the child’s mother, 34-year-old Tynisha Lashae Jones, was responsible for giving morphine to the infant. The sheriff’s office has not publicly explained the evidence behind that conclusion beyond citing the records and evidence reviewed by investigators.
Jones was charged Friday with murder/homicide by child abuse, the sheriff’s office said. She was being held at the Anderson County Detention Center after bond was denied. The criminal charge represents an accusation, and the available reports do not indicate that Jones has entered a plea or that a court has determined her guilt.
The chronology released by authorities shows why the case took months to reach the charging stage. Detectives began gathering information on the day of the child’s death, but officials said laboratory testing was not completed until months later. Investigators then reviewed those findings with the medical records and other evidence before Jones was charged.
Several questions about the case remain unanswered publicly. Authorities have not said why they believe morphine was given to the infant, where the drug came from or when it was allegedly administered. They also have not released a detailed account of the circumstances before the child was taken to or treated at AnMed Medical Center.
No additional arrests had been announced in the reports available Monday. The sheriff’s office also had not released further details about the evidence collected during the home search or identified any additional witnesses whose accounts contributed to the charging decision.
Jones remained in the Anderson County Detention Center as the case entered the court process. Authorities said further details were not yet available, leaving the laboratory findings, medical-record review and resulting homicide charge as the principal information publicly disclosed about the investigation.
Author note: Last updated Sept. 28, 2026.