If you haven't heard about this, read the story and then we'll talk...

Toddler-Ecstasy Video Investigated
Wednesday, July 11, 2007 12:08 AM EDT
The Associated Press
By MONICA RHOR

HOUSTON (AP) — A group of young women videotaped themselves laughing at a toddler and joking that the child had taken Ecstasy, though it's unclear whether the tot had actually been given the drug, authorities said.

The young women told an investigator that they got bored during a return trip from Padre Island and were playing with the little girl, who was following instructions to roll her eyes back, said Lt. John Martin, a spokesman with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

The video, which appeared on the Internet, runs 2 minutes, 28 seconds, was taken in a van and shows a girl who appears about 2 years old. As the young women tease her, the toddler rolls her eyes back until only the whites show.

Some of the women can be heard laughing and seeming to suggest that Ecstasy might be responsible for the child's behavior.

"Cookie, stop rolling, girl. ... You shouldn't have popped no X," says one of the young women, as she squeezes the little girl's cheeks and taps her on her head, telling her to stop rolling her eyes. "X" is a slang term for Ecstasy.

The video appeared on YouTube.com before being removed and is on other Web sites. It also shows an infant being handed around in the back seat.

In addition to the two children, there were seven people in the van — the toddler's 21-year-old mother, two other adults and four teenage girls under 17, he said. All are from Houston, and no charges have been filed.

Area authorities became involved after clues in the video indicated it had been filmed in Texas.

A map of Jackson County can be seen in the video, and an announcer for a Christian radio station in Houston can be heard in the background.

The FBI's Houston office is also involved in the investigation.


Now what this story DOESN'T say is this: the little girl was sitting on the floor of the van, no seatbelt, no car seat, and she was unresponsive most of the time. I saw this on the news last night and what I saw was a two-year-old on something. Plus, one of the teens asked why the other girl had given her the X and the girl in question said "because she wanted it." One girl was complaining that the toddler had hurt her face, or something, and was videotaping her as a punishment. The language used in this video was disgusting, the one person who was slapping at the toddler and squeezing her face to get her to stop rolling her eyes was harsh, and most of the time, the little girl was in another world.

If no one is charged in this case, I'll be very surprised.