Louisiana police arrested a woman on Tuesday for June’s fatal overdose of her 2-year-old son.
Mitchell Robinson reportedly had 14 ml of fentanyl in his blood when he died on June 26. The boy’s mother, Whitney Ard, 28, said her son slept in the bed with her the night before, and he woke up early and asked to make him something to eat, according to WBRZ.
Ard claimed she made Robinson a bowl of cereal and put it on the floor. Shortly thereafter, she reportedly found her son unresponsive, blue, and cold to the touch.
According to WBRZ, police discovered a bag containing white powder near the bowl of cereal Ard claimed she made for her son. However, Ard’s daughter reportedly told cops that the toddler “ate mom’s pills” and that she saw a lot of pills on their mother’s bed.
Robinson’s cause of death was deemed acute fentanyl toxicity.
WAFB reported that Robinson had been hospitalized twice for apparent overdoses. In both instances, the toddler was treated with Narcan.
The first incident, in April, reportedly involved Robinson being hospitalized for breathing issues. The second ordeal, which occurred on June 4, entailed the toddler being hospitalized for seizures, acute respiratory failure, and lethargy.
Robinson was returned to his mother’s custody despite the nature of his two hospitalizations.
Ard had been released from jail on June 24 — two days before her son’s death — for drug charges that involved meth and fentanyl. Previously, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s claimed her home was being used as a drug den.
Ard’s mother had returned the toddler to her the same day he died, according to WAFB.
Reports indicated that the Department of Children and Family Services never removed Robinson from the home despite his two prior hospitalizations and his mother’s arrest for drugs.
Ard, who is charged with negligent homicide, remains jailed on $50,000 bail.
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[Featured image: Whitney Ard/East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office; Mitchell Robinson/Facebook]
