The mother of a 2-year-old boy who died after consuming fentanyl while she was sleeping after taking a shot of the highly addictive drug is facing a murder charge, according to authorities.
Lauren Ashley Baker of Ludlow, Kentucky, told police she used some of the money she received from a federal stimulus check to buy the drug on March 13, according to a police statement, FOX19 reported.
Baker was arrested on Thursday and has been charged with murder, importing fentanyl, and trafficking in a controlled substance.
She is being held without bond at the Kenton County Detention Center and appeared before a judge on Friday.
First responders were called to the home of the 33-year-old mother for a child that was not breathing, Ludlow Police Department officials said.
Upon arrival, they recovered the toddler boy in a respiratory arrest and rushed him to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where medical staff declared him dead.
“It’s tragic and senseless that a 2-year-old boy is dead because his mother couldn’t keep the fentanyl out of his reach,” Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Baker told police she fell asleep after taking the shot of fentanyl and her son then ate some of the drugs that were inside her purse. The boy’s father called the police after he found his son unresponsive when he returned home, according to the police statement.
Fentanyl is the synthetic opioid attributed to the escalating overdose death rate in the United States. It is most often manufactured in Mexico using chemicals supplied by China. It’s mixed with other narcotics to increase potency as well as pressed into counterfeit pain pills commonly known as “Mexican oxys.”
According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), officials have intercepted more than 5,000 pounds of fentanyl since Oct. 1, 2020, said Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller during a March 10 media call.
“We are seeing a dramatic increase in fentanyl seizures this fiscal year, more than 360 percent higher than this time last year,” the commissioner said.
Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report.
