12:00am on Dec 26, 2010
Modified at 1:53am on Dec 26, 2010
Kentucky.com
 Family members put toys and other decorations at the grave of Kayden Branham Daniels, who died after drinking drain cleaner at a trailer where methamphetamine had been made. BILL ESTEP |
It's common for people who have been in serious wrecks to describe a prolonged moment of painful clarity when they knew for certain a crash was inevitable.
So it was, in a way, for the social workers who had been involved in the saga of the family that gave rise to Kayden Branham Daniels, the toddler who died last year after swallowing drain cleaner, a key ingredient of home-cooked methamphetamine, that was sitting in a coffee cup on a table.
All signs pointed to an impending disaster. Kayden's mother, Alisha, was 12 when he was conceived and 14 when he died. Melissa Branham, her mother, had custody of Alisha, but social workers were concerned she was abusing drugs. Alisha herself had tested positive for marijuana.
The utilities had been cut off at Melissa Branham's home. So, Alisha, Kayden and Kayden's father had moved to a trailer rented by Alisha's father, Larry Branham, where methamphetamine was being produced.
Larry Branham has acknowledged once being addicted to pain medication, but he says that with treatment, he no longer has a problem. His ex-wife, Melissa, told social workers shortly before Kayden died that she suspected Larry Branham was involved with drugs.
Kayden's life was in danger from the moment he was conceived. FULL STORY
Every time this story is updated, I grow more aghast.
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