Mom left pills out, then toddler died from overdose, AZ officials say. She’s sentenced
A mother has been sentenced in the fentanyl death of her 18-month-old child, Arizona prosecutors say.
A 38-year-old woman was given a 12.5-year prison sentence in relation to her toddler’s January 2024 death, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said in a March 6 news release.
“The recklessness of this fentanyl-addicted mother caused her toddler to grab a hold of a lethal dose of fentanyl,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in the release.
The mom called Phoenix police Jan. 29, 2024, to say her toddler was unresponsive, prosecutors said.
After getting the call at about 7:30 a.m., officers arrived at the apartment and found the unconscious 1-year-old inside, police said in a news release.
Phoenix Fire officials pronounced the child dead on scene, prosecutors said, adding that the medical examiner later determined they died from “acute fentanyl consumption.”
McClatchy News is not naming the woman to protect the identity of her other child, who was found unharmed.
Officers learned the mom used fentanyl the night before, prosecutors said.
She used the drugs and fell asleep but left pills on a table where a child could reach them, according to prosecutors.
When she woke, she found her 1-year-old child unresponsive, along with “her pill container opened and blue residue on the floor,” according to prosecutors.
She told officers she believed the child “might have gained access to the container with drugs and ingested a pill,” according to police.
Her sentencing comes after she pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including manslaughter, child abuse and attempt to commit child abuse, according to prosecutors.
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Mom left pills out, then toddler died from overdose, AZ officials say. She’s sentenced."
