A Pennsylvania father has been arrested for manslaughter charges after his 4-year-old son died of an accidental fentanyl overdose following a family birthday party.
Van Marcus Redding, 36, has been slapped with numerous charges including involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment, and a drug charge in connection with the accidental death of his 4-year-old son Avant Redding, who died May 7 in Carnegie, the New York Post reported.
On May 7 afternoon, Redding reportedly picked up Avant, took him to a family birthday party, and later stopped by a McDonald’s to pick up dinner on their way back home.
However, while the young boy was eating a Happy Meal in the living room, the toddler reportedly started vomiting and seemed “unsteady on his feet,” Redding told the police.
Redding immediately rushed the boy to a nearby hospital but got involved in a car accident on the way. When the police questioned him over the crash, he told them that his son was ill and that he was rushing Avant to a healthcare facility for treatment, Fox News reported.
Unfortunately, Avant was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Clair Hospital.
After the incident, police searched Redding’s residence and found medical marijuana, xanax pills, and a baggie of white powder suspected fentanyl. Medical reports later revealed that the cause of Avant's death was high fentanyl toxicity.
Investigators are trying to piece together the circumstances that made the kid ingest the dangerous drug.
Redding has been denied bail and is due back in court on Friday, July 9.
In a similar but unrelated incident, two teenage parents were charged on June 23 for the tragic death of their 4-month-old infant after traces of cocaine were found in the baby's body as well as his feeding bottles, Latin Times reported.
Teen couple, Brady Wearn, 18, and Mary Bedenbaugh, 17, have been arrested and charged with homicide by child abuse, as well as unlawful conduct toward a child.
Police officers reportedly rushed to the suspects’ home after getting reports that the infant was unresponsive and not breathing. The child was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead the same day.
However, the newborn's toxicology reports revealed that the baby had “measurable levels” of cocaine in the body. The infant victim’s feeding bottles also tested positive for the controlled substance.
The teen couple was reportedly submitted for a drug test and tested positive for a handful of illegal substances, including cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana. Taking the drug tests and autopsy records into consideration, the infant's death was reportedly ruled as "sudden unexpected infant death associated with recent cocaine ingestion."
The parents were denied bond and are being held at the Newberry County Detention Center.
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