A 9-month-old baby boy in Florida died after his 17-year-old mom allegedly put fentanyl in his baby formula. Authorities responded to a home outside of Jacksonville and found the baby unconscious, according to CBS News. Officials tried to give the baby CPR, but he later died in a hospital in Jacksonville, Nassau County Sherriff Bill Leeper stated, per the New York Post.
The mother initially said she didn’t know what happened, but later confessed that she thought she had put cocaine in the baby’s bottle because she was trying to get him to sleep, so she could nap, the outlet reported. An autopsy confirmed the baby’s death was actually the result of a fentanyl overdose, and the mother has been charged, per CBS News.
More from CafeMom: Family Sues Airbnb After Toddler Dies of Fentanyl Overdose While Staying at Florida Rental
The mother eventually admitted to lacing the baby's bottle.
The 9-month-old baby was found not breathing and without a pulse at a residence in Callahan, on June 26, per the New York Post. The baby's mother first feigned ignorance of the baby’s death, but later revealed in an interview with investigators that she mixed what she thought was cocaine with the baby formula because she was tired and wanted to take a nap that day, the news outlet reported. Leeper said, “No one should lose their life to this terrible deadly drug, especially an innocent baby.”
Officials said there was enough fentanyl in the bottle to kill 10 people.
The Drug Enforcement Administration notes just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal to a person, depending on factors such as past usage, body size, and tolerance, reported CBS News. But Leeper revealed the amount in the baby’s bottle was well above that. Leeper said, "The amount he had in his system would kill approximately 10 people," the news outlet reported. Adding, “She laid him down in his crib to go to sleep and he never woke up. 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.”
More from CafeMom: Ohio Mom Facing Child Endangerment Charges After Her 1-Year-Old Son Overdosed on Marijuana
Fentanyl reportedly kills more Americans under the age of 50 than cancer and heart disease.
According to the DEA, fentanyl has killed more Americans under the age of 50 than homicide, suicide, cancer, or heart disease. In 2022, more than 71,000 Americans died from fentanyl linked overdoses and drugs, according to a press release from California Governor Gavin Newsom's office.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in a public service announcement: “Fentanyl is everywhere. From large metropolitan areas to rural America, no community is safe from this poison. We must take every opportunity to spread the word to prevent fentanyl-related overdose death and poisonings from claiming scores of American lives every day.”
The mother has been arrested and charged.
Investigators said that other individuals were present in the residence at the time the incident took place, but believe the teen mom acted alone, reported CBS News. After being booked into jail, the mother reportedly stated that she might also be pregnant again, the news outlet reported.
The mother's and baby’s names have not been released because they are both minors, but the mother has been charged with possession of a controlled substance and aggravated manslaughter, per the New York Post.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
