Police in Florida have arrested a teenage mother in the death of her 9-month-old infant after she allegedly gave the child a fentanyl-laced baby bottle.
The teen, who wasn’t publicly named due to her age, reportedly told police she believed she had given the baby cocaine and not fentanyl — a powerful and deadly synthetic opioid, WESH reports.
RELATED: Florida Mother Charged After Intentionally Putting Alcohol In Baby’s Bottle Causing Child To Get Sick
Medical Examiner Found Infant Had Enough Fentanyl In His System To Kill 10 People
The medical examiner ultimately found the child had 27 nanograms of fentanyl in his system, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper told WESH. That’s nine times the amount that can kill a fully-grown adult, he added.
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Additionally, authorities said the amount of fentanyl the baby had in his system could kill 10 people.
“Most babies are born to loving parents who take care of all of their needs, but unfortunately, some babies are born to individuals who have no business being parents,” Leeper said at a press conference.
“It’s beyond my imagination why a mother would do that to her child,” Leeper told KALB.
A mother is under arrest in Florida after police said she allegedly put fentanyl in a 9-month-old baby's bottle. https://t.co/ZzSWnqrgPa pic.twitter.com/uAtjRyz3bx
— WAFF 48 (@waff48) July 14, 2023
Leeper added that the teen said she believed she was pregnant as she was being booked following her June 26 arrest.
Life-saving Measures Were Performed On The 9-Month-Old Infant
On June 26, the tired, young mother prepared a bottle intending to put her infant son to sleep, as reported by KALB.
“She got the baby’s bottle, filled it with formula, then went to the bathroom and found a pill bottle,” Leeper said. “She put some of what she thought was cocaine in the bottle.”
Deputies were called to the home after the child didn’t wake up. Furthermore, KALB reports that emergency personnel attempted to perform life-saving measures.
“She laid him down in his crib to go to sleep and he never woke up,” Leeper said, as per CBS News. “Who does that? What mother would do that? That’s not normal. That is sick. It’s beyond my imagination why a mother would do that to her child.”
IN FLORIDA: 9-month-old baby dies after teen mom put fentanyl in his bottle, sheriff says>>> https://t.co/eBuEgg4l9T pic.twitter.com/g7wok7KMdn
— KSLA News 12 (@KSLA) July 14, 2023
Teen Charged With Aggravated Manslaughter, More Charges, Arrests Could Follow
However, authorities pronounced him dead after rushing the child to a nearby hospital.
On Monday (Jul. 10), the medical examiner officially ruled the child’s death as a fentanyl overdose.
Additionally, Sheriff Leeper claimed there were other adults at the home at the time of the infant’s fentanyl poisoning. He added more charges could follow, according to WESH. An investigation into the child’s death remains ongoing.
Meanwhile, the 17-year-old mother currently faces charges of aggravated manslaughter and possession of a controlled substance.
