16-Month-Old Toddler Nearly Dies After Ingesting Fentanyl; Mother Arrested

A Florida mother was arrested after her 16-month-old toddler son nearly died of a Fentanyl overdose.

Antwanette Shambria Davis, 30, was charged with child neglect with great bodily harm in connection with the incident which took place Monday in Oakland Park, according to a Broward County Sheriff's Office arrest report.

During her first court appearance Tuesday, Davis' attorney claimed that she was fighting with the child's father when the pill must have fallen from the latter's possession and the infant ended up swallowing it, NBC Miami reported.

"Miss Davis was being assaulted," attorney Hector Romero told the court. "It was the suspect's pill or Fentanyl that fell down and, unfortunately, that's what the child ingested. It's not like Ms. Davis had it lying around."

Broward assistant state attorney Eric Linder went on to counteract the argument by saying that the drug belonged to Davis. Linder doubled down on his claims based on Davis' urine test report in which she tested positive for the opioid drug.

"The Fentanyl was found directly under Miss Davis's purse," he said. "She tested positive, [through] a urine test, for Fentanyl."

Linder said Broward Sheriff firefighters had to revive the child twice with an antidote. "The 16-month-old baby nearly died from ingesting Fentanyl," Linder added. "Narcan [drug] had to be used twice by paramedics."

During the proceeding, Davis allegedly said she told her 11-year-old to call the cops after the younger child showed signs of distress. "[Davis] saw the child, the [infant] looked like he was going through a medical crisis, and then she contacted the ambulance," Romero said.

Davis is being held at the Broward County Jail on a $10,000 bail, according to the arrest report. The two kids are expected to be transferred to their grandmother after the Department of Children and Families looks into the matter, Broward County Bulletin-News reported.

Fentanyl is a powerful pain-relief medication given to patients having cancer or other serious medical conditions. Unless taken in a monitored medical setting, the drug can prove to be lethal.