15-Month-Old Boy Starves To Death After Mother Dies Of Drug Overdose

An infant boy whose body was found strapped in his car seat inside his Tennessee home died of starvation and dehydration after his mother died from a lethal dose of meth and fentanyl.

32-year-old Tiffany Spears and her 15-month-old son, Nicholas Crowder, were found dead inside their home in Portland, north-east of Nashville, on Feb. 9, last year.

According to the autopsy results that were only released on Monday, June 14, Spears died from a drug overdose and her body had been lying on the bathroom floor for several days.

Her two children, the deceased infant, and his 3-year-old sister spent days inside the locked house with their dead mother.

The girl, who was found alive inside the home, reportedly tried to take care of her little brother before he died of starvation. She apparently fed him eggs and other food.

The medical examiner found dried eggs and eggshells in and around the infant’s car seat.

Police were alerted after a probation officer who looked in through the window of the locked home found the girl running around the house unsupervised and her mother unresponsive on the bathroom floor.

Responding officers found the infant strapped in his car seat on the bedroom floor. Both Spears and Crowder were pronounced dead at the scene. There were no clues to indicate foul play and their deaths have been ruled accidental, the report said.

Emergency services transported the toddler girl to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Investigators had always suspected that Spears died of a drug overdose as they had retrieved drug paraphernalia from the home. Her toxicology report revealed alarming levels of meth and fentanyl in her system.

According to the authorities, there had previously been other drug-related deaths at the rental home. However, they haven't provided a confirmation whether those deaths were related to previous tenants.

It is not clear how long the infant had been dead before both the bodies were discovered. The Sumner County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident to uncover more information on the timeline of events.