COVENTRY, R.I. (CBS News) — A couple has been charged after the powerful painkiller fentanyl was found in their deceased infant’s system, reports CBS affiliate WPRI.
Emergency crews responding to a call about an unresponsive infant rushed the 8-month-old girl to the hospital on Nov. 19, where she was pronounced dead. According to WPRI, the little girl’s name was Mia.
The station reports that police allegedly discovered evidence of criminal neglect involving the child’s parents, Steven Gilchrist, 32, and Jocelyn Belmore, 32.
According to the station, a police affidavit revealed that although the girl’s exact cause of death has not yet been determined, she had fentanyl in her system.
Police reportedly said they found prescription bottles containing marijuana cigarettes and Suboxone, which is used to treat opioid addiction, on a night stand where the baby’s diapers were stored. Dog feces was also reportedly found in the home.
Both parents were charged with a felony county of cruelty/neglect of a child, but police reportedly said more charges are possible as the investigation continues. Gilchrist and Belmore both pleaded not guilty and their bail was set at $50,000.
The station reports that Gilchrist was known to the state Department of Children, Youth and Families from a previous case, but that Belmore had no history of abuse or neglect with the agency.
