California officials arrested the parents of a one-year-old child who was found to have tested positive for both fentanyl and THC.
The case started on Apr. 22, 2025, when local deputies from the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) responded to a report of a medical emergency. It involved a one-year-old child who was said to have choked and temporarily stopped breathing at a home in Jamestown, California.
Child Tests Positive for Fentanyl and THC
Police said that officers who arrived at the scene revived the child and quickly transferred them to a local hospital for evaluation before being released to the parents. The day after, TCSO received another report, this time from Child Welfare Services.
The latter said that the one-year-old was re-admitted to a hospital by their parents, who were identified as 22-year-old Rory Kerr and 32-year-old Denaun Davis after the baby became unresponsive.
Authorities said that during the visit, the one-year-old was resuscitated before being transferred to an out-of-area hospital for treatment related to Fentanyl poisoning. This was after the infant tested presumptively positive for fentanyl and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), according to MSN.
Detectives with the TCSO immediately launched an investigation and worked through the night into the early morning. Later, they issued several warrants for the one-year-old's parents. Police noted they also found various items of drug use paraphernalia that contained narcotics residue.
Officials took the parents into custody and brought them to the Dambacher Detention Center, where they were booked on felony child abuse charges. These include abuse likely to cause great bodily injury or death.
The investigation found that the child's parents administered Narcan during the medical emergency that occurred with their baby. Following the suspects' arrest, the one-year-old baby was placed in protective custody, ABC News reported.
Fentanyl-Related Death
TCSO also reminded the public that Narcan should not be used as a substitute for proper medical care. The agency added that Narcan is temporary and can quickly wear off while dangerous levels of narcotics remain in a person's body.
A similar situation occurred when a Southern California woman's 10-year-old son died after being exposed to fentanyl. The mother, Marcy Castro, believes that the person who is responsible should be charged with murder and is advocating for tougher punishments.
During an interview, Castro said that she wants justice for her late son and she will do everything she can until she gets it. The incident happened on Dec. 12, 2024, when the woman got a call from a family member that informed her that her son, Nathanial, stopped breathing.
Officials did not initially know what caused the boy's death but the mother was called weeks later telling her Nathanial's death was caused by fentanyl, as per ABC7 Chicago.
