(RepublicanView.org) – Police have arrested a California woman after her 3-year-old sons died. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) responded to a call from Jestice James, who reported that she had found her twin sons unresponsive. The toddlers were quickly transported to a local hospital, where one of them was pronounced dead. Two days later, the other boy also died.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner confirmed the children’s deaths but stated that a definitive cause could not be determined without an autopsy. Nevertheless, an LAPD statement noted that initial investigations suggested the children consumed or suffered exposure to “an unknown substance.” Jestice James was quickly arrested and is held on $2 million bail. She is currently charged with murder and abuse, and facing allegations of child endangerment.
While the case remains under investigation, authorities suggest it was likely that the toddlers came into contact with the deadly drug Fentanyl.
If this is accurate, it would add to a growing list of young children falling victim to Fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid responsible for, or implicated in, many fatal drug overdoses in the United States.
Last September, for instance, a one-year-old boy died at a New York nursery due to Fentanyl hidden under a mat. Three other children were admitted to hospital, and Nicholas Dominici was pronounced dead. Subsequent police searches uncovered one kilo of the lethal drug hidden in the nursery.
Additionally, the California Department of Public Health announced that there were 11 Fentanyl-related deaths involving children under five in the Golden State last year. Brynn Carrigan, the state’s public health director, said she expects the number to grow and noted the difficulty in preventing such incidents. “You can’t educate a 2-year-old not to touch fentanyl that maybe their parent has left lying around,” she said.
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