Mom did heroin in her baby’s room, court documents say. The child died the next day
.jpg "A couple is charged after their baby died the day after her father-figure allegedly did heroin in her room. -")
A Missouri couple is behind bars after their 8-month-old baby died of an overdose the day after her mother allegedly did heroin in the child’s bedroom, according to court documents.
St. Louis authorities arrested 27-year-old Samantha Poppleton and her boyfriend, 52-year-old Robert Hasenfratz, on Tuesday, probable cause documents obtained by McClatchy state.
Both are charged with child endangerment resulting in a child’s death. The court documents say Hasenfratz has been “the father-figure to the child” since her birth and has raised her as his own.
The infant was found unresponsive at the couple’s home the morning of May 14 and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. A toxicology report revealed she had fentanyl and morphine in her system at the time of her death, according to officials.
“[Hasenfratz] admitted to storing drugs and paraphernalia in close proximity to the child’s toys and sleeping quarters,” the documents state.
But Hasenfratz told authorities Poppleton used heroin in her daughter’s room the day before she was found unresponsive, according to the documents. Police added Poppleton knew the drugs and paraphernalia were stored near the baby’s toys and where she slept.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports they each received a $150,000 bond, cash-only.
Michaela Broyles: 843-626-0281, @MichaelaBroyles