NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — A teenage mother is under arrest after she put what she thought was cocaine in her baby’s bottle, but was actually fentanyl, and the baby died, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said Wednesday.
Deputies were called to Deerfield Country Club Road in Callahan on Monday, June 26 about a 9-month-old baby boy who was not breathing and had no pulse, Leeper said.
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The baby was taken to Baptist Medical Center North, where he was pronounced dead.
The mother, 17, originally told deputies that she didn’t know what happened, Leeper said.
Leeper said the medical examiner found that the boy had an amount of fentanyl in his system that would kill approximately 10 people.
Investigators called the mother in on Tuesday to interview the mother again about what happened. Leeper said she “continually lied, changed her story several times,” then “ultimately confessed to what happened.”
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Leeper said the day the baby died, the teen mother wanted to take a nap.
“However, what is not normal is what the mother put in the baby’s bottle to put him to sleep,” Leeper said.
She filled a baby bottle with formula. Then Leeper said she went into the bathroom and found a pill bottle.
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She put some of what she thought was cocaine from the pill bottle into the baby bottle, but it was actually fentanyl, Leeper said.
“Who does that? What mother would do that? That’s not normal, that’s sick,” Leeper said.
The mother was arrested on aggravated manslaughter and possession of a controlled substance, Leeper said.
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While the mother was being booked into jail, Leeper said she told deputies she hasn’t had her period in a while and might be pregnant again.
Leeper said that NCSO is not identifying the mother or the child at this time, citing Marsy’s Law.
The Florida Department of Children and Families is investigating the case, and NCSO is still investigating the case.
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A new study conducted by Families Against Fentanyl found that children under the age of 14 are dying from fentanyl poisoning at a faster rate than any other age group.
The Florida Department of Health data shows an increase in the number of deaths from fentanyl over all age groups year to year.
Leeper said he wanted to take the opportunity to let the community know there are resources that can help families in the community, including NCSO’s Victim Advocate Services division.
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