‘Drug crisis’: advocates sound alarm after latest arrest in OD death of a child

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This article was published 30/03/2024 (586 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The mother of a toddler who died after being exposed to opioids has been criminally charged, the latest addition to a disturbing trend that has harm reduction experts raising alarms.

One-year-old Romeo Stewart died suddenly 15 months ago at a home on the 300 block of Sherbrook Street. Autopsy and toxicology reports, announced Saturday by the Winnipeg Police Service, revealed the child had high levels of fentanyl and carfentanil intoxication.

It’s the third time in recent years a baby or toddler in Winnipeg has lost their life because of exposure to illicit drugs inside their home, the WPS said.

“We have a drug crisis in this city, in this province, and we need to come up with a strategy to address it because, once a child is gone, it’s too late,” said St. Boniface Street Links director Marion Willis, who is calling for government to convene a team of government officials and stakeholders in the wake of the tragedy.

“We have to realize that the challenges we are facing as a city, as a province, and the challenges for families have become incredibly complex. There needs to be a renewed, comprehensive strategy involving all levels of government including, child welfare, education and mental health experts, paramedics and police.”

The WPS said a 33-year-old mother has been charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life in connection with the infant’s death. She was arrested Friday at police headquarters and released on an undertaking to appear in court.

She has not been publicly identified by police.

The woman called 911 in the early hours of Dec. 29, 2022, when Romeo was found unresponsive at home, police said. Another family member provided medical care until an ambulance arrived, but the child was taken to hospital in critical condition and was later pronounced dead.

WPS investigators determined he had been exposed to opioid substances within the home, and the Manitoba Crown’s office authorized the criminal charge after consultation with the WPS child-abuse unit.

WPS spokesman Const. Claude Chancy said it is “extremely concerning” when police have to investigate a child’s death.

“We do have to remember that these are infants, babies and small children, and they have family. So this is very traumatic for not only the families that are involved — they’ve lost a family member; somebody who hasn’t even had a chance to live life — that trauma is not only immediate, but is ongoing and will go on for many years to come.”

It can take months to get the results of toxicology and autopsy reports, coupled with the need for consultation about the complexities of child-abuse-related charges, which is why the charge was laid long after the child’s death, Chancy said.

Last month, city police charged the parents of a three-month-old baby girl who died from exposure to fentanyl and meth. Layla Mattern Muise died Feb. 2, 2022, and her parents are charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life.

In early February, police laid manslaughter charges against 37-year-old Sabrina Faye Boulette and 38-year-old Garry Daniel Adrian Bruce. Their one-year-old daughter Hanna Boulette died after ingesting fentanyl in March 2023. Police believe her parents delayed calling 911.

Harm reduction experts are seeing similar deaths “all across the country,” said Antoinette Gravel-Ouellette, spokesperson for Moms Stop the Harm.

“Moms Stop the Harm continues to advocate for changes and continually advocate for immediate interventions to prevent unnecessary deaths,” she said in an email statement.

“We still need to do more in our province to address the current state (of the ongoing drug crisis), we need to have supervised consumption sites, more wrap-around services, such as housing, and address the inequity and stigma.”

It’s still common for highly toxic opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanil to be mixed with street drugs like methamphetamine or cocaine. Chancy warned there’s no way for people to know what they’re getting off the street.

He said it is the responsibility of parents and caregivers to make sure children aren’t endangered by drugs brought into the home. Family members should be vigilant if they know a relative is struggling with substance use while caring for children.

“If they are aware that somebody is under the influence or has a substance abuse problem, I think they need to be very diligent in making sure that those substances are not exposable to a child in any way, shape, or form,” Chancy said.

—with files from Tyler Searle

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca