Grandmother charged after 1-year-old fatally overdoses on fentanyl, Alabama police say
.jpg "An Alabama woman has been arrested and charged in connection to the death of her 1-year-old grandchild after the boy was exposed to fentanyl, police say.")
An Alabama woman has been arrested in connection to the death of her 1-year-old grandson after the child was found to have fentanyl in his system, authorities said.
Jamie Parker was jailed July 10 on charges of criminal endangerment of a child and possession of a controlled substance, Madison County Sheriff’s Office deputies said at a news conference Wednesday. Bail was set at $20,000, and Parker bonded out later that day, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office told McClatchy News.
Deputies said they responded on July 10 to reports of an unresponsive infant at a home, public information officer Brent Patterson told reporters. First responders performed CPR on the child, who was taken to a hospital and placed on life support.
The child died after he was taken off life support two days later, Patterson said.
During their investigation, deputies said fentanyl was found “throughout the house.” Patterson said an autopsy will determine how the child became exposed.
The synthetic opioid, known for it’s euphoric effects, is “50 to 100 times more potent than morphine” and often prescribed to treat severe pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More recent cases of fentanyl-related deaths and overdoses, however, have been linked to illegally made fentanyl that’s been mixed with other drugs, like cocaine and heroin.
“We have people throughout our county who are dying daily from this,” Patterson said at the news conference Wednesday. “People need to understand ... that we’re on top of this, we care about this and just know the Madison County Sheriff’s Office ... aren’t going to sit by idly while this takes place.”
Madison County is in the northern part of the state and includes Huntsville.
The incident remains under investigation.
This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 8:19 AM with the headline "Grandmother charged after 1-year-old fatally overdoses on fentanyl, Alabama police say."