Kansas baby poisoned by methamphetamine.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Adam Smeltz

WICHITA, Kan. _ The infant was unconscious, her body poisoned by methamphetamine when a family friend took her to Via Christi Riverside Medical Center about 7 a.m. Sunday.

Her mother and her mother's boyfriend soon arrived, too, but they left before police showed up, according to a police report, and hadn't been located as of Monday evening.

Before the weekend was out, the 15-month-old infant and her older sister were in protective custody _ the latest two of more than 2,000 children taken into government custody in meth-related incidents nationwide since 2000.

"When you use meth, you don't think like a normal person …