California Mom Charged With Murder After 2-Year-Old Dies Of Fentanyl Overdose

A California mother has been charged with murder after her 2-year-old son died from consuming an excessive amount of fentanyl that was in her possession, authorities said.

Genesis Barrera-Galdamez, 20, of Brentwood, was also charged with felony child abuse and felony possession of Fentanyl to sell, as well as two enhancements; willful harm causing injury and great bodily injury resulting in brain damage and paralysis, Contra Costa County prosecutors said in a statement Thursday.

The incident happened on Sept. 20 when Barrera-Galdamez called the authorities to report that her son, identified as Jasani Kerry, Jr., was unresponsive. She told cops her son appeared blue and that his body turned cold. Paramedics performed CPR on the boy for over 30 minutes but failed to revive him, according to the statement.

Arriving officers recovered several items of drug paraphernalia on and around the bed that the toddler shared with his mother, including 13 grams of powdered fentanyl, according to the statement.

An autopsy report for the boy revealed that the toddler died due to acute Fentanyl toxicity. Derek Butts, the homicide unit supervisor for the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, said in the statement that Barrera-Galdamez didn’t want her son to die but she exposed the toddler to Fentanyl despite knowing it could be dangerous for him.

“While the Defendant did not intend that her son Jasani die, the evidence shows that she was aware her Fentanyl possession and use was dangerous to human life and despite this knowledge, exposed Jasani to the danger which ultimately led to his death,” Butts was quoted in the statement, as saying.

Barrera-Galdamez was being held on $1,100,000 bail and it isn’t immediately clear if she received legal representation.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic drug that is used for rapid pain relief. Misuse or abuse of the drug can be fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In a similar incident, a Colorado couple was charged with child abuse resulting in death after their toddler daughter died due to Fentanyl overdose. The 2-year-old girl’s mother, identified as Jada’ Marie Glenn-Turner, said she woke up to find her child unresponsive. The responding officers found drugs, including heroin, marijuana, and Xanax in the trash can of the child’s bedroom, which she shared with her siblings. During interrogation, the child’s father, identified as Rashad Turner, said he kept the drugs out of his children’s reach and had no idea how the girl was exposed to it. An autopsy determined the amount of fentanyl found in the toddler’s blood was three times the fatal level.