A 1-year-old child who was found strapped into a car seat in a house in Tennessee starved to death after his mother died of a drug overdose, an autopsy has revealed.
The grim discovery was made on February 9 when authorities entered the home in Portland, just over 30 miles north of Nashville, to find the 32-year-old woman and her infant son dead.
An autopsy, carried out four months after the deaths, has now found that the mother Tiffany Spears died of an accidental overdose and her 1-year-old son Nicholas Crowder died of starvation and dehydration.
Spears’ surviving 3-year-old was also discovered and treated at a local hospital as a precautionary measure, Sheriff’s Office Major Tim Bailey said.
Police said there were no hints to indicate any foul play, WSMV reported.
Davidson County Assistant Medical Examiner Emily Dennison ruled both deaths accidental, stating the mother’s cause of death was acute combined drug toxicity from methamphetamine and fentanyl, as reported by IB Times.
Her son, who was found strapped inside his car seat on the floor of a bedroom, died due to starvation and dehydration.
According to the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the residence after a probation officer “making a home visit observed an obvious medical emergency.”
The probation officer had visited the home and found the front door locked, which prompted her to look in a window. She dialed 911 after seeing the 3-year-old child running around inside, while the mother was lying on the floor not moving.
According to the medical examiner, Spears had been dead for several days.
“It appeared the decedent’s sister tried to take care of the decedent for several days,” the autopsy stated.
This is an absolute tragedy, the idea of that little boy’s 3-year-old sister trying to keep her baby brother alive just breaks my heart.
I hope she is safe and with people who love her and over time she loses all memory of this horrific time in her life.
Please share.
