The mother of a toddler who died after being exposed to opioids has been criminally charged.
It’s the third time in recent years that a baby or toddler in Winnipeg has lost their life because of exposure to hard drugs inside their home.
One-year-old Romeo Stewart died suddenly on Dec. 29, 2022 at a home in the 300 block of Sherbrook Street. Autopsy and toxicology reports revealed the small child had high levels of fentanyl and carfentanil intoxication, and the Winnipeg Police Service announced Saturday his 33-year-old mother is now charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life. The mother went to Winnipeg police headquarters Friday and was arrested and released on an undertaking to appear in court.
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Family members should be vigiliant if they know their relative is struggling with substance use while caring for children, says WPS Const. Claude Chancy.
She called 911 in the early hours of Dec. 29, 2022 when Romeo was unresponsive at home, and another family member provided medical care until an ambulance arrived. The one-year-old was taken to hospital in critical condition and was later pronounced dead.
WPS investigators determined he had been exposed to the opioid substances within the home, and the Manitoba Crown’s office authorized the criminal charge after consultation with the WPS child abuse unit.
It’s the third recent case in which Winnipeg parents have been charged because their very young children died of fentanyl poisioning, said WPS spokesman Const. Claude Chancy. He said it’s “extremely concerning” when police have to investigate a child’s death.
“We do have to remember that these are infants, babies and small children, and they have family. So this is very traumatic for not only the families that are involved — they’ve lost a family member; somebody who hasn’t even had a chance to live life — that trauma is not only immediate, but is ongoing and will go on for many years to come.”
It can take months to get the results of toxicology and autopsy reports, coupled with the need for consultation about the complexities of child-abuse-related charges, which is why a charge in this case is being laid 15 months after the child’s death, Chancy said.
Just last week, city police charged the parents of a three-month-old baby girl who died from exposure to fentanyl and meth. Layla Mattern Muise died Feb. 2, 2022 and her parents are charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life. In early February, police laid manslaughter charges against 37-year-old Sabrina Faye Boulette and 38-year-old Garry Daniel Adrian Bruce. Their one-year-old daughter Hanna Boulette died after ingesting fentanyl in March 2023, and her parents are accused of delaying calling 911.
Since at least 2017 in Winnipeg, there have been other reported incidents of babies and young children suffering from drug poisioning and recovering after exposure to fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid that for years has been at the centre of an addictions crisis in Canada.
It’s still common for highly toxic opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanyl to be mixed in with street drugs like methamphetamine or cocaine, and police are warning people who use substances that there’s no way for them to know what they’re getting off the street. It’s parents’ and caregivers’ responsibility to make sure the drugs aren’t brought into the home and endangering children. Family members should be vigiliant if they know their relative is struggling with substance use while caring for children, Chancy said.
“If they are aware that somebody is under the influence or has a substance abuse problem, I think they need to be very diligent in making sure that those substances are not exposable to a child in any way, shape, or form,” he said.
katie.may@freepress.mb.ca
