1-Year-Old Dies Of Starvation, Dehydration After Mom Overdoses On Meth

KEY POINTS

A 32-year-old mother and her 1-year-old son in Tennessee were ruled to have died accidentally
An autopsy showed the mother died of a drug overdose, while her son died of starvation and dehydration
The two were found dead in their home in February after a probation officer visited the residence

A mother in Tennessee has been determined to have accidentally died from a drug overdose — four months after she and her 1-year-old son, who had died of starvation and dehydration, were found lifeless inside their home, autopsy results released Monday showed.

Authorities discovered 32-year-old Tiffany Spears and her infant son, Nicholas Crowder, dead on Feb. 9 in their home in Portland, about 35 miles northeast of Nashville, local newspaper The Tennessean reported.

Police said there were no hints to indicate any foul play, WSMV reported.

Davidson County Assistant Medical Examiner Emily Dennison ruled both deaths accidental in nature, with an autopsy conducted on Feb. 10 showing the mother's cause of death to be acute combined drug toxicity from methamphetamine and fentanyl, as per The Tennessean. Her son, who was found strapped inside his car seat, died due to starvation and dehydration.

Spears' surviving 3-year-old was also discovered and treated at a local hospital as a precautionary measure, Sheriff's Office Major Tim Bailey was quoted as saying.

According to the Sumner County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the residence after a probation officer "making a home visit observed an obvious medical emergency."

The probation officer had visited the home and found the front door locked, which prompted her to look in a window. She dialed 911 after seeing the 3-year-old child running around inside, while Spears was lying on the ground motionless.

A responding deputy found Spears lying on the bathroom floor motionless with no obvious signs of trauma, Dennison wrote in her autopsy. According to the medical examiner, Spears had been dead for several days.

Spears' 1-year-old son, meanwhile, was found strapped in his car seat on the floor of a bedroom in the home.

"It appeared the decedent's sister tried to take care of the decedent for several days," the autopsy stated.

According to Dennison, food including eggshells and dried eggs were found in and around the car seat.

Drug paraphernalia was also found in the residence.