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Nearly a month after police and paramedics responded to a call in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, regarding an unresponsive 10-month-old infant who was reportedly suffering an overdose, an arrest was made.
According to a release issued by the Allegheny County Police Department, Robbie Boyer, 47, was arrested and charged on Thursday with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, possession of controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Officials used naloxone to reverse the effects of the overdose that occurred on July 31 and brought the infant to the hospital in critical condition. Two other children in Boyer's care also reportedly tested positive for controlled substances.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said that naloxone is an opioid antagonist, which blocks the effects of opioids, including heroin, morphine and oxycodone.
"Administered when a patient is showing signs of opioid overdose, naloxone is a temporary treatment and its effects do not last long," the agency said. "Therefore, it is critical to obtain medical intervention as soon as possible after administering/receiving naloxone."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2019, nearly 50,000 people died from an overdose that involved opioids.
More than 5,000 people died from an overdose in 2020 in Pennsylvania, per the CDC.
Officials said that detectives with the Allegheny County Police Homicide Unit investigated the scene and determined Boyer was responsible for her grandchild's overdose.
In addition to the infant suffering an overdose, officials said a 9-year-old tested positive for cocaine metabolites, while a 3-year-old tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl.
CBS affiliate station KDKA reported that Boyer fled the area when police arrived, and an arrest warrant was issued.
According to a police report obtained by Newsweek, detectives found a cigarette box that contained glass pipes, bundles of stamp bags with suspected heroin, and syringes.
Boyer was arrested Thursday after she returned to her house.
"McKees Rocks Officers and Allegheny County Police Detectives entered the residence and were successful in apprehending Boyer while she hid under clothing in a bedroom closet," officials with the McKees Rocks Police Department said in a Facebook post.
This incident is one of many involving children who have suffered overdoses.
In January, parents in Ohio were arrested after one toddler died and another was poisoned after they ingested fentanyl. The parents reportedly used and sold illegal drugs.
Police reported that seven children under the age of eight were hospitalized in Virginia after a suspected overdose. It was not clear what the children ingested, but investigators said they believe the children took sleeping pills.
One child was reportedly forced to clean his uncle's fentanyl paraphernalia in New Jersey, which led to a fatal overdose.
Updated 08/29/2022, 4:56 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information.
About the writer
Catherine Ferris is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting for the U.S. Trends Team. She ... Read more