OKEECHOBEE COUNTY, Fla. — Investigators in Okeechobee County are revisiting a decade-old child neglect case following the recent arrest of a babysitter for allegedly poisoning a child.
WPTV's Michael Hoffman was there on Tuesday as Anna Adamo bonded out of jail on an attempted murder charge after investigators say she poisoned an 11-month-old child with antifreeze.
WATCH: Sheriff's office reviewing every case where Adamo is a suspect
Hoffman uncovered documents showing this isn't the first time she's been accused of harming a child in her care.
We found a complaint against Adamo from 2014. A doctor suspected a child was poisoned, but investigators determined there was not enough evidence to file any charges. Now, more than 11 years later, they're taking a closer look given these new allegations.
Investigators in Okeechobee are asking parents to come forward if they've left their child in the care of Adamo.
On Tuesday, Adamo faced multiple charges, including attempted first-degree murder, after investigators say she poisoned an 11-month-old she was babysitting with antifreeze.
Investigators say they're taking a deeper look into her past.
This 2014 investigation into Adamo, obtained through a records request, shows another child in her care was rushed to the hospital after a possible poisoning. Although that case was dropped due to lack of evidence, digging deeper reveals the allegations are nearly identical to each other.
In both cases, parents dropped off their kids at Adamo's home in good health. When the parents picked up their kids, they were lethargic and not acting right. Tests at the hospital would prove both children had been suffering from ethylene glycol (antifreeze) poisoning.
WATCH: Anna Adamo leaves jail on bond
"How can lightning strike twice?" said attorney and former Palm Beach County state attorney Dave Aronberg.
I sat down with Aronberg, who tells me that the 2014 case, even if charges were never filed, can still play a role in the prosecution 11 years later thanks to something called Williams Rule.
Williams Rule "allows prosecutors to bring in prior bad acts, not to show that this is a bad person, because that would violate the defendant's right to a fair trial, but to show that the prior conduct was so similar to the thing she's being charged with that it amounts as an MO — it's her pattern," Aronberg said.
He says a judge would still need to admit it into evidence, but with how unique antifreeze poisoning is, "I think they'll admit it," Aronberg said.
The sheriff's office tells me they are going to review every case where Adamo is a suspect. They're working on getting me a number.
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