Louisiana Mom Faces Murder Charge After 4-Day-Old Baby Dies From Fentanyl Overdose

A Louisiana woman was arrested and booked on charges of second-degree murder after her 4-day-old baby girl died of a fentanyl overdose.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to a hotel in the 1100 block of Manhattan Boulevard in Harvey around 3.40 a.m. on June 10 regarding a medical incident. According to deputies, 28-year-old Lana Cristina staying at the hotel called 911 after finding that the newborn was not breathing, WWL-TV reported.

The baby was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead later that morning, the report said.

According to Sheriff Joseph Lopinto, an autopsy along with a toxicology test were conducted after the baby’s passing. “Toxicology reports were recently returned that led to the determination that the victim’s cause of death was acute fentanyl toxicity,” he added in a statement posted on Facebook.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said that Cristina admitted to investigators that she used the fentanyl drug before breastfeeding the baby.

“Cristina was arrested following the classification of the death of her 4-day-old child as a homicide,” said Lopinto. Though the baby died in June, the Sheriff’s office charged Cristina with second-degree murder Wednesday. She was booked at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center, police said.

Police did not identify Cristina’s daughter.

This incident marks Cristina’s second brush with the law. Previously, in 2013, then 20-year-old Cristina was arrested in connection with a drug-related death of a friend, Amber Hollis, 23, The Times-Picayune reported. At that time, Cristina was charged with second-degree murder in the overdose death. She pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and was sentenced to five years in prison for supplying heroin that killed her friend.

Fentanyl opioid is used as a pain medication for cancer patients and is considered more potent than heroin. Fentanyl is considered 50-100 times stronger than morphine.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, fentanyl is a habit-forming drug, which it says should not to used in larger doses or longer than prescribed by a doctor. It says that this drug should only be prescribed for chronic cancer pain to patients aged 18 or above.

Last month, a Pennsylvania man was charged with involuntary manslaughter after his 4-year-old son died from fentanyl exposure while under his care. The child was spending the day with the father after a birthday party when he came across a bag of white powder, later identified by authorities as fentanyl.