14 July 2023 , 12:21
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The father of a baby that died of fentanyl poisoning has said he is grappling with the thought of his son's passing.
A 9-month-old baby named Elijah died in Nassau County, Florida after his teenage mother allegedly put fentanyl in his bottle. The incident took place on June 26 and was reported to the authorities when the baby became unresponsive.
Despite efforts to revive him, the child passed away after being taken to a hospital in Jacksonville. Initially, the 17-year-old mother claimed to have no knowledge of how fentanyl ended up in the bottle, but her statements changed during subsequent interviews.
Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper holding a bottle of formula and pill bottle at a press conference (First Coast News)It was later revealed that the mother had mistakenly filled the bottle with what she believed to be cocaine, but it turned out to be fentanyl, a potent opioid.
The father of the child, Phillip Word, also 17, who had limited contact with his son, expressed his devastation and regret for not being more involved in raising him.
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"It was amazing. It’s just really the best feeling, just to meet your first kid for the first time and hold them," Elijah’s father, Phillip told News4Jax. "I just wish I would’ve actually got to be able to get to know him and raise him."
The mother put what she thought was cocaine into her baby's formula but it turned out to be fentanyl (First Coast News)He learned about his son's death through a text message and initially struggled to believe the news. The father hopes for stronger charges against the mother in this tragic case. “I didn’t think it was real,” he said.
“He had a whole other family that he never got to meet,” Phillip said. “They loved him. They never got to meet him and had the most love that they could for him.”
A medical examiner determined that baby Elijah died of fentanyl poisoning (News4JAX)
Phillip Word, the 17-year-old dad has said he is devastated (News4JAX)The medical examiner determined that the child had a lethal amount of fentanyl in his system. Due to the severity of the incident, the case is being treated as aggravated manslaughter and possession of a controlled substance.
Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper expressed shock and dismay over the incident. He questioned the actions of the mother, stating that it was abnormal and sickening for a mother to harm her own child in such a way. He emphasized that no one should lose their life to such a deadly drug, especially an innocent baby.
“He had a whole other family that he never got to meet” (News4JAX)Sheriff Leeper said: "Who does that? What mother would do that? That’s not normal. It is sick. It’s beyond my imagination why a mother would do that to her child. No one should lose their life to this terrible deadly drug, especially an innocent baby."
The name of the mother has not been released in accordance with Marsy's Law. The investigation is still ongoing and is being conducted by the Nassau County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Children and Families (DCF).