Police Report Details Mass. Baby`s Fentanyl Close Call

Jan. 04--METHUEN -- When Methuen police officers arrived at 5 Tree Top Way early Saturday afternoon, they found a baby struggling to breathe inside the home, according to a police report.

They checked the baby's airway for obstruction and found none. She had a pulse, but her breathing was irregular, at approximately 10 to 15 breaths per minute, according to a police report.

The baby, a 10-month-old girl, nearly died from exposure to fentanyl. As police officers and medical personnel in Methuen and at Lawrence General Hospital tried to keep her alive, she appeared to suffer two seizures and stopped breathing twice, being revived both times by hospital staff, according to a report on the incident filed by Methuen police Officer Robert Peabody.

Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller that police say is frequently mixed with heroin and is responsible for a number of overdose deaths in the opioid crisis.

The police report was released to The Eagle-Tribune on Tuesday as Methuen police continued to investigate the incident along with state police, the Essex County district attorney's office and the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

Following treatment at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, the baby was released Monday into the care of an aunt, the mother's sister. DCF has legal custody of the child, however.

On Tuesday, Michael Quinn, a neighbor and attorney who is acting as a spokesman for the Methuen family, said the baby was doing "very well," and is being cared for by the aunt and her husband.

The baby's mother, who remained unidentified and had not been charged as of Tuesday evening, was identified in the police report as a former drug addict. Quinn said the mother had struggled with drugs in the past but has "been in a methadone program" since before her baby's birth.

"The mother has been in a program and that's why she was living with her parents from the time just before they delivered the baby," Quinn said.

Quinn said the family remains "baffled and bewildered" by the incident, adding that "they have no idea where the baby was able to get and ingest fentanyl."

According to the police report, officers were dispatched to the Tree Top Way home at 12:28 p.m. for a report of a 10-month-old baby not breathing. After arriving at the home, an officer "performed several back thrusts and rechecked the airway which remained clear." The baby was placed on the floor as the Methuen Fire Department arrived on scene and took over treatment.

While the baby was receiving treatment, her grandfather told a police officer that the mother "was a past drug addict," the report said.

As officers were treating the baby, the mother "remained upstairs going between her bedroom and the bathroom," according to the report.

The mother told police that she took the baby upstairs to her bedroom to take a nap, and was lying on the bed with the baby next to her. The mother said she heard the baby "not breathing right and panicked and began screaming," according to the report.

She told police that her father arrived moments later and took the baby downstairs to the living room.

According to the report, an officer asked her if she had relapsed and had used any drugs, "to which she stated 'No.'" The officer asked if she was currently breast feeding, to which she replied she was not.

Once the baby was stable, she was transported from the home into an ambulance where she continued to receive treatment as Lawrence General paramedics arrived on scene. The baby appeared to show signs of having a seizure, the police report said.

After she was again stable, she was transported by the Methuen Fire Department to Lawrence General Hospital for further treatment.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the baby appeared to have another seizure and was taken to an emergency room.

According to the police report, Dr. Lara Gould later told police that the baby "coded two times while receiving medical treatment." The term "coded" is medical slang that usually means the patient went into cardiopulmonary arrest and had to be revived. The baby's toxicology report showed fentanyl in her system, according to the doctor.

The baby was taken to Tufts Medical Center in Boston via helicopter.

Methuen police filed an oral 51A report, or a report of child abuse or neglect, with DCF. The department said they were sending a team to Tufts Medical Center for further investigation, according to the police report.

Andrea Grossman, a DCF spokeswoman, confirmed that "The Department of Children and Families received a report and is investigating in collaboration with law enforcement."

On Tuesday, the mother received a care and protection summons to appear in court for a hearing related to the child, police confirmed.

According to DCF, the court summons is standard procedure informing parents that the department has filed a care and protection petition. A court hearing will then determine whether custody of the child stays with DCF or returns to the parents.

Quinn, the family attorney, said "the mother will submit herself to anything and everything it takes to get her child back."

Quinn said that the mother is continuing in a methadone program. While he did not know what specific drugs she had dealt with in the past, he said "fentanyl has never been an issue that I've been aware of."

He said the mother has "done very well" in the drug rehabilitation program, adding that "she's never had a positive test of anything," while participating in it.

The family has been cooperating with authorities investigating the incident, and said they are focusing on having the mother regain custody of her baby.

"The mom and the grandparents' position is that they want to have custody given back to the mother pending whatever investigation needs to take place," Quinn said.

He added that the mother was "upset," and that her goal is "to show anyone and everyone that she is a capable mom."

Follow Lisa Kashinsky on Twitter @lisakash23.

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