Mother Arrested After Exposing 3-Month-Old Daughter to Near-Fatal Dose of Fentanyl

Mother Arrested After Exposing 3-Month-Old Daughter to Near-Fatal Dose of Fentanyl
(Shutterstock/SeaRick1)
Bowen Xiao
1/19/2018
Updated:
1/19/2018

Police have arrested a Pennsylvania woman after they said she exposed her baby to fentanyl.

But the mother claims that it was not the drug she was using.

Crystal Cumberland, 27, is currently in prison and is facing charges including aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child, NBC affiliate WPXI reported.

Authorities responded to a call that a 3-month-old female infant was having difficulty breathing in North Union Township, Fayette County back on Nov. 13 last year.

According to a recent release, officials found the infant had most likely been exposed to heroin or some other type of opioid, ABC affiliate WTAE reported.

But investigators later discovered that the infant was exposed to a near-fatal dose of fentanyl after a search warrant for medical records was issued.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid pain reliever up to 100 times more potent than morphine. “It is sold through illegal drug markets for its heroin-like effect” and “often mixed with heroin and/or cocaine as a combination product—with or without the user’s knowledge—to increase its euphoric effects,” according to the CDC.

The baby had been flown to the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment which consisted of multiple doses of the drug Narcan to help revive her.

The mother is being held on a $25,000 bond.

Cumberland told hospital staff that she was snorting a white powder she believed to be heroin. But it turned out the powder sold to her was actually fentanyl.

The mother “admitted to hospital staff to snorting a white powder to get high, which exposed the infant to fentanyl that was sold as heroin,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by WPXI.

The baby girl is currently being treated at the hospital.

Cumberland’s Facebook profile paints a different picture. It was filled with happy photos of her with her baby.

According to her Facebook photos, she has 2 children.

America’s opioid epidemic is continuing to rise. In 2015 alone over 33,000 American died from an opioid overdose.
From NTD.tv
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Bowen Xiao was a New York-based reporter at The Epoch Times. He covers national security, human trafficking and U.S. politics.
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