An Indiana couple has been arrested and charged with child neglect after their six-month-old child overdosed on fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The infant also had a bad diaper rash, pulmonary edema, and a staph infection.
Nicole Neely, 42, and Owen Miller, 43, each face one count of neglect resulting in the death of a dependent and two counts of neglect whereby they placed a dependent in a dangerous situation, according to a report by WNDU.
The child was found unconscious and not breathing after a neighbor called police on January 18.
The infant was taken to the hospital but was declared dead.
WNDU reports:
In an interview with authorities, Neely told investigators that the child was lying in her bedroom with Miller when she went into the kitchen for 10 minutes. When she returned, she claimed that the child was limping and not breathing and that they tried to take the child to a neighbor who happened to work in the medical field.
Another neighbor later visited the child's home, where they found the 6-month-old unresponsive and blue, and proceeded to attempt CPR.
Police say when they arrived at the home, they found trash on the floor, countertops and table in the kitchen. They also found open containers of rotting food covered in flies in the kitchen, accompanied by a strong smell of garbage and rotting food throughout the house.
Court documents highlight the state of disrepair the home was in as it was so filled with rubbish that police could only open the bedroom door halfway. Police found a baby bottle on the bed containing a brown liquid and a small fly inside.
Miller was overdosing when police arrived and was treated with Narcan.
Two other children, ages six and eight, were taken to the hospital and treated for fentanyl poisoning.
