3 arrested in connection to fentanyl-related death of 5-year-old girl
Apr 13, 2023, 4:08 PM
King County, like many counties nationwide, is facing a fentanyl epidemic. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Three individuals were arrested Thursday after a 5-year-old Ferndale girl’s death from a fentanyl overdose. Investigators waited for toxicology tests before making said arrests.
Police took her father, mother, and mother’s boyfriend into custody. Investigators believed the three of them were doing drugs on March 8, when the child ate the dangerous opioid. The trio was also suspected of drug dealing.
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“To lose a kindergartener, as part of the Ferndale community, is devastating, and to have it under such tragic circumstances, it affects each and every one of us,” Riley Sweeney, a spokesperson with the City of Ferndale, told KIRO Newsradio.
Investigators were able to determine that the parents illegally distributed fentanyl days after the victim’s death.
The deceased child’s 8-year-old sister is currently living with relatives as of this report.
According to Sweeney, the three arrested are facing first-degree murder charges, as they showed extreme indifference to the lives present.
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“All three of them were involved in the consumption and distribution of drugs in our community,” Sweeney said.
