17 October 2023 , 23:22
701
0
A grandmother has been arrested after her 11-month-old grandson allegedly overdosed on cough syrup found in baby bottles.
Tibina Louissant, 53, was accused of plying Josiah Fenelus with so much of the cough medication that he overdosed before she was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated manslaughter. Broward County Sheriff’s Office and Oakland Park Fire Rescue were called at about 9:30am. on August 21, 2022, after reports Josiah was unresponsive.
After arriving to the scene in the 100 block of N.W. 40th Court in Oakland Park, Florida, first responders located the child and began life-saving measures as Josiah Fenelus was rushed to to Broward Health Medical Center. Tragically he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the facility.
READ MORE: NFL fan knocked out by sickening haymaker outside game in horrific footage
Following the little boy’s death, detectives with the Broward Sheriff's Office homicide unit and crime scene investigators took control of the case before it transpired Josiah’s family had left him in the care of Louissant, his paternal grandmother, for the weekend.
Man in 30s dies after being stabbed in park sparking police probe
Josiah, who authorities say did not have any known medical problems, suddenly became unresponsive. In a press release from the Sheriff's Office, authorities say his baby bottles has tested positive for lethal levels of medication. The release stated: "The Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy and determined in October 2022 that Josiah Fenelus had a lethal concentration of the powerful antihistamine cyproheptadine in his body.
Josiah’s cause of death was determined to be cyproheptadine toxicity, and the manner of death was determined to be a homicide (NBC6)"In the summer of 2023, toxicology tests determined that items found in Louissant’s home, two baby bottles, tested positive for cyproheptadine. Cyproheptadine is a powerful antihistamine that also acts as an appetite stimulant and is frequently used to augment one’s physical appearance. It is only legal with a doctor’s prescription but can be found in products sold in certain stores and online without a prescription. Antihistamine overdose can cause disorientation, hallucinations, coma and, in some cases, death.”
Josiah’s cause of death was determined to be cyproheptadine toxicity, and the manner of death was determined to be a homicide. The drug is also not approved for use in children under the age of 2 under any circumstances.
Louissant allegedly admitted she was the only person to make Josiah’s bottles while in her care. Following the lengthy investigation into Josiah’s death, authorities determined that probable cause existed to charge Louissant in Josiah’s death, reports Law&Crime.
She was booked into the Broward County Main Jail and released Saturday after posting bond of $50,000 on the condition that she have no unsupervised contact with persons under the age of 18.