A 17-month-old lady has died of fentanyl poisoning in Riverside County — including one other case to a rising roster of fatalities that appears to know no boundary on the age or circumstance of the victims.
The child’s demise stays underneath investigation, and authorities are releasing few particulars, however on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., deputies from the Norco station responded to a report of a kid needing medical assist within the 100 block of eighth Road.
Deputies arrived to seek out the kid not respiratory.
“Life saving measures have been carried out by deputies and Cal-Fireplace however the juvenile was unresponsive and was pronounced deceased,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Division introduced in a information launch.
“The demise of any little one is heartbreaking, particularly one that might have been prevented,” mentioned Sgt. Deirdre Vickers, public info officer for the Sheriff’s Division. “It’s unlucky that the rise of fentanyl use in our communities is now resulting in the demise of harmless kids.”
In 2021, there have been 1,557 pediatric deaths from fentanyl, together with 40 infants and 93 kids ages 1 to 4, based on a brand new studyy.
Investigators rapidly concluded that fentanyl performed a task within the demise of the kid, whose identify has not been launched. Officers arrested the kid’s mom, Jennifer Johanna Allen, 32, inside an hour of the decision for assist, based on jail information.
No particulars have been launched concerning why foul play or prison negligence was suspected.
Allen was charged with one depend of homicide and one felony depend of kid endangerment, which might embrace willfully harming a toddler or exposing a toddler to hurt.
Jennifer Johanna Allen was arrested in reference to the fentanyl demise of her 17-month-old daughter.
(Riverside County Sheriff’s Division)
The breadth of tales underlying fentanyl-linked deaths is huge, together with these of teenagers and youngsters. Some youths have been making an attempt to hurt themselves; some have been simply making an attempt to get excessive and by no means realized that their drug of alternative was spiked with lethal fentanyl. Others had merely purchased what they thought was a protected treatment on-line. And, after all, a child will put nearly something in its mouth.
Authorized opioids additionally pose a lethal threat. Researchers say protected storage and disposal of prescription treatment is required to assist maintain kids from hurt.
Better emphasis needs to be placed on hurt discount, consultants say, together with growing entry to the overdose reversal drug naloxone, often known as Narcan, in houses.
The L.A. college system is amongst these that’s stocking Narcan at faculties and with its law enforcement officials — within the wake of the overdose demise of a pupil at Bernstein Excessive in September. The district additionally permits college students to hold Narcan with parental permission. Narcan has been administered 26 occasions at faculties within the months for the reason that Bernstein demise.
Bail was set at $1 million on every depend for Allen, who stays in custody at Robert Presley Detention Heart in Riverside, based on official information.
