Chester County mom in court, accused of injecting teens with heroin

HONEY BROOK, Pa. (WPVI) -- A Chester County mother accused of injecting two children with heroin made her first court appearance on Friday.

According to prosecutors, one of the children she gave the drug to was her own daughter.

34-year-old Jessica Riffey gave up her right to a preliminary hearing at district court.

Riffey had nothing to say as she was led into court in handcuffs.

Police have now filed 18 new charges against her in addition to the 14 she was already facing.

Riffey was arrested last Thursday when police went to her home to check on her children.

Police say the home was in deplorable condition, and they soon discovered that Riffey had been injecting her own 14-year-old daughter with heroin.

Police say they soon learned that she had also been injecting a 16-year-old boy.

Court documents indicate the heroin was supplied by Riffey's boyfriend, Jamerson Burn.

Police say he also watched Riffey inject the drug into the arms of the children.

Burn is now on the run and police are hoping he turns himself in.

Sources say the abuse of the children would never have come to light if a family friend hadn't tipped them off.

Now that she's waived her right to a preliminary hearing, Riffey will go straight to trial on 34 criminal counts, including child abuse and conspiracy.

She is back in county prison unable to come up with $50,000 bail.