CALLAHAN, FLORIDA: According to authorities, a 9-month-old infant who was named by his father as Elijah died last month after his mother, 17, was suspected of mixing ample fentanyl in his bottle to "kill approximately ten people." At a press conference on Wednesday, July 12, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper informed the media that the Florida-born adolescent mother had been arrested on suspicion of aggravated manslaughter and possession of a controlled substance.
The mother admitted to law enforcement that she mistook the fentanyl for cocaine and intended to use it to help put her infant to sleep so she could take a nap since she was exhausted, the police officer said. Police were dispatched to the mother's Callahan home on June 26 after being notified that a 9-month-old baby was not breathing.
Who was baby Elijah?
When the police came, they discovered the baby on the living room floor, unresponsive and unconscious. The child was given CPR, but a hospital in Jacksonville subsequently declared him dead. The infant boy's distraught father has finally come out and expressed how shocked he was to learn of the death of his child through a text message from a friend.
'Would kill approximately 10 people'
As per the CBS News report, "Originally the mother said she didn't know what happened, she put the baby to sleep and just couldn't wake him up," Leeper stated. The baby's cause of death was confirmed to be a fentanyl overdose after the medical examiner's office informed detectives that fentanyl had been discovered in the child's blood on Monday, according to the sheriff. As per the Drug Enforcement Administration, two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on an individual's physique size, tolerance, and prior drug use. "The amount he had in his system would kill approximately 10 people," Sherrif mentioned.
'What mother would do that?'
After the deputies found the baby's bottle and analyzed it, they discovered fentanyl indicators inside, according to Leeper. Since then, the bottle has been delivered to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for additional analysis. The mother was interviewed by investigators on Tuesday, according to Leeper, who also noted that she repeatedly changed her narrative until finally confessing. As per Leeper, the suspect mother claimed to have poured the bottle with formula before going to the restroom and discovering a pill bottle that she thought contained cocaine. She filled the infant's bottle with some. "She laid him down in his crib to go to sleep and he never woke up," the sherrif stated. "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."
Although there were other people present in the house at the time of the incident, authorities believe the baby's death was completely the result of the mother's actions. Leeper added that the mother hinted at a potential pregnancy while she was being booked into jail. In addition, the sherrif urged struggling parents to seek assistance, noting that there are services available.
'He didn't even have a chance to start walking'
The Department of Children and Families and the Nassau County Sheriff's Office both acknowledged they are still looking into the issue. Police did not identify the mother or the infant in the press briefing. According to Leeper, this is because Marsy's Law protects the rights of crime victims. The 9-month-old's father and grandfather, who informed News4Jax the child was named Elijah, have now come forward and said they are in shock at his death. According to Phillip Word, who lives in Jacksonville, he doesn't see his child very often but would have taken care of him if his mother was exhausted. He claimed that a friend texted him to inform him of the death of his son. "It was amazing. It's just really the best feeling, just to meet your first kid for the first time and hold them," Phillip stated. "I just wish I would've actually got to be able to get to know him and raise him. He didn't even have a chance to start walking and stuff."
