Louisiana Woman Arrested After Her 2-Year-Old Son Dies Of Fentanyl Overdose

A mother from Louisiana was arrested Tuesday after the toxicology report of her 2-year-old son revealed that the child died of acute fentanyl toxicity. The mother’s elder daughter also reportedly told authorities that her toddler brother “ate mom’s pills.”

The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said that 28-year-old Whitney Adriel Ard was arrested and charged Tuesday with negligent homicide in the death of her toddler son, Mitchell Robinson, local WAFB reported. Arrest warrant documents revealed that the coroner’s toxicology report showed acute fentanyl toxicity as the cause of Robinson’s death on June 26. The toxicology report also stated that 14 mL of fentanyl was found in Robinson’s blood.

The sheriff’s office said Robinson was pronounced dead shortly after emergency responders transported the child to the hospital. The arrest warrant revealed that Ard told detectives her son was cold to the touch when she woke up on the morning of June 26, adding that a friend performed CPR on the toddler until emergency responders arrived. Ard also told the emergency team that her child had seizures in the past.

Medical personnel had noted at the time of Robinson’s transportation to the hospital that the child’s death was suspicious, WVLA reported. Furthermore, an official report revealed Robinson’s older sister told deputies that “in the past she has seen a lot of pills on her mother’s bed and her brother ‘ate mom’s pills.’ When the mother found out her brother ate some of the pills her mother whipped him and made him go to bed. Later on, their mother took him to the hospital.”

Deputies said Ard previously brought her son to the hospital on April 12 and on June 4 and was treated with Narcan in both instances. Narcan is a prescription medicine “used for the treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose emergency.” Both of the incidents were said to have been reported to the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). The DCFS has yet to confirm the report.

Investigators have since searched Ard’s home, where they found a plastic containing white powdery residue under Ard’s bed.

Ard was arrested in May with two other individuals on charges related to drugs such as fentanyl and meth. During the arrest, 2 pounds of fentanyl with a street value of approximately $50,000 and other drugs were seized from the suspects. Ard was reportedly released on June 24.