NASSAU COUNTY, FLORIDA, Fla. — A Nassau County teen has been arrested and faces multiple charges after she is accused of putting fentanyl in her child's baby bottle that led to his death, according to Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper during a press conference held Wednesday.
On June 26, deputies responded to a residence on Deerfield Country Club Road in the Callahan area in reference to a child who was not breathing and had no pulse.
When one deputy arrived, they found a 9-month-old baby boy unconscious on the living room floor and immediately began performing CPR until the Nassau County Fire Rescue Department arrived.
The baby was taken to a Jacksonville hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The baby was born on Sept. 2, 2022.
When detectives arrived at the home to conduct a preliminary investigation, the 17-year-old mother stated she did not know what happened. Leeper said she told police that she put the baby to sleep and couldn't wake him up.
On Monday, NCSO received information from the Medical Examiner's Office that the cause of death was ruled a fentanyl overdose. The child had enough fentanyl in his system to kill ten adults.
“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,” said Leeper.
When investigators called the mother into the sheriff's office to interview on Tuesday, Leeper says the mother changed her stories multiple times and then ultimately confessed to what happened.
Detectives say on the day of the incident, the teen mother filled the baby's bottle with formula and went into the bathroom of the home to continue filling the bottle with what she thought was cocaine. Investigators later found a pill bottle with the fentanyl inside of it.
“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,” said Leeper, "the victim was a 9 month old baby boy, he should have been crawling, he should have been laughing, most importantly, kept safe. That was not the case.”
The baby's bottle was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for further testing.
The mother is being charged with aggravated manslaughter and possession of a controlled substance.
Leeper said during the press conference, that while in custody, the mother said she might be pregnant.
Due to Marsy's Law, the sheriff's office will not be releasing name of the mother or the baby boy.
The sheriff's office as well as the Florida Department of Children and Families, will be conducting an ongoing investigation.
Leeper stated other adults were in the home during the incident, as the NCSO's investigation will reveal to see if they will be charged in addition to the mother.
If you are struggling with drugs, there are resources available to you. If you are an adult in crisis, please call the 24/7 Adult Crisis Hotline at 904-206-1756. If you are a teenager or young adult in crisis, an adult with a child in crisis, or a friend of a youth in crisis, please call the 24/7 Youth Mobile Response Team at 904-580-0529. Please call 9-1-1 immediately if you or your loved one is having a medical emergency.
Please follow this link to multiple resources in and around Jacksonville: https://www.nassaufldrugprevention.org/.