Peabody baby murder suspect OKs extradition

PEABODY – A Peabody woman accused of shaking her 9-month-old daughter to death after losing and then regaining custody of the baby will soon return to Massachusetts to face a murder charge.Jennifer Ward, 37, waived extradition Wednesday in a hearing via videoconference from the York County, Maine Jail, where she’s being held. She is expected to be returned to Massachusetts by next Tuesday.Her arraignment in Salem Superior Court had not been scheduled as of Wednesday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the Essex district attorney’s office said.Ward, of 30 Keyes Drive, Peabody, was arrested Friday at her parents’ home in Kennebunk, Maine after a grand jury returned a murder indictment. Eight-month-old Jocelyn Ward Anderson died from shaken-baby syndrome on Nov. 21 at Children’s Hospital in Boston, according to the district attorney’s office.The baby’s father has been identified as Robert Ward, 45, of Lynn and has not been charged with any crime.Jennifer Ward was allowed to take the baby home in March shortly after birth even though both tested positive for narcotics, under the condition that she undergo treatment for drug use, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Massachusetts Department of Social Services.Later in March, Jocelyn was taken from Ward and was placed in foster care because of a report of neglect, according to the agency. Ward completed a drug treatment and parenting education program, and in July was granted custody in Lynn Juvenile Court. The court dismissed the care and protection order in September, according to the DSS statement.Thomas Barrett, Ward’s attorney, did not immediately return a call to the Associated Press left at his office in Salem on Wednesday.DSS has come under fire in recent years for a number of cases in which children died while under the care or supervision of the agency.After the baby’s death, DSS spokesman Richard Nangle wrote in a statement e-mailed to media outlets that the case was typical in many ways in that the baby was taken away, the mother did what was asked of her, and the baby was then returned to the mother.Nangle emphasized that “everyone involved in the case thought it was a success story,” but the outcome is tragic and stunning.A conviction on the crime carries a life sentence in state prison, with no chance of early parole.Assistant District Attorney Kate B. MacDougall is prosecuting the case for the Commonwealth.(Materials from the Associated Press and Item staff were used in this report.)