Bonney Lake mother charged in infant’s fentanyl death appears in court
A Bonney Lake mother charged in her son’s fentanyl death appeared in court Wednesday after being arrested last week.
Prosecutors charged Karlee Annmarie Eley, 26, with first-degree manslaughter after her son, 1-year-old Weston Tucker, died from acute fentanyl toxicity in March. Prosecutors allege there was fentanyl in parts of the Bonney Lake apartment unit where Weston resided with Eley, and the boy’s father, Nicholas Lee Tucker, 33.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Eley’s behalf during her arraignment. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set her bail at $1 million.
Eley’s family members were sitting in the gallery during the hearing.
Tucker also has been charged with first-degree manslaughter. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment June 6. He is being held at the Pierce County Jail on a $1 million bail, The News Tribune previously reported.
Eley was charged the same day, and a bench warrant was issued for her arrest. Almost a week later, she was spotted in Richland by a Kennewick police officer. Two Richland officers spotted Eley 40 minutes later in the 1900 block of Jadwin Avenue. She was arrested and booked into the Benton County Jail, according to the department on Facebook.
Charging details
Officers in Bonney Lake were dispatched at 7:41 p.m. on March 13 to an apartment complex in the 22000 block of 110th Street East after a child was found unresponsive in a bedroom. Tucker and Eley were at the apartment when police arrived. Officers performed CPR as the child was not breathing, according to charging documents.
Weston was taken to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital where he died on March 18.
When police asked the parents if the child possibly ingested drugs, they said no. Tucker later told police that he gave the child a bottle and then laid him down. Tucker then fell asleep. Police later found a container that allegedly had substances which tested positive for fentanyl on the bed.
Eley told police she arrived at the apartment between 7:05 and 7:30 p.m after running errands. When she walked into the bedroom, Eley reported it smelled like vomit. Tucker eventually woke up, and, when Eley checked on her son, she saw he was blue.
During a search of the apartment, detectives found substances that tested positive for fentanyl, including in the bed. There was allegedly an empty plastic Ziploc bag that had “FeNtANYL DANGEr” written on it, documents show. Burnt tin-foil pieces and alleged drug paraphernalia were also found in the apartment.
Detectives later told Eley officers found lighters and an alleged narcotics container on the bed, documents show. She initially said she had “no idea.” When a detective told her he believed she knew what was going on and that it was not a secret there was drugs in the apartment, Eley allegedly agreed.
Eley denied being around the narcotics and said Tucker never used them around her. She alleged that he had a problem using Xanax, documents show.
“Karlee was again asked if she knew what drugs Nicholas uses, and she stated something to the effect of, ‘I guess fentanyl.’ She stated that she didn’t know what else it would be, and further stated that she didn’t know what he did while she was gone,” according to charging documents.
Eley told detectives Tucker was the primary caretaker for Weston while she was at work, documents show. Detectives learned from her mother that Eley had not been employed for about eight months. Eley had a $6,500 tax refund and her mother believed some of it might have gone to Tucker, which allowed him to allegedly purchase drugs.
An oral swab obtained from Eley on March 14 allegedly tested positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine, documents show.
A test for possible dangerous residue was arranged by the complex after Tucker and Eley moved out. The results allegedly showed the unit had “the highest amount of residue they had ever seen in a residential apartment that had not been used for the manufacture of narcotics,” documents show.
Eley does not have any previous convictions, court records show.
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 3:37 PM.
