5-month-old dies, then ‘powdery substance’ found in crib tray, Florida cops say

The suspicious death of a 5-month-old may be linked to a “powdery substance” found on the child’s crib tray, Florida investigators say.

An autopsy is scheduled to determine a cause of death, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office said in a June 26 news release.

The child’s parents are in jail facing drug possession charges, the sheriff’s office said.

McClatchy News is not identifying the parents because they have not been charged in the baby’s death.

“Deputies responded to a residence on (South Sixth) Street in Fernandina Beach on Thursday, June 19, ... regarding an unresponsive 5-month-old who didn’t appear to have a heartbeat. While en route to the scene, deputies were notified the child died at the hospital,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Once on scene at the residence, investigators observed a powdery substance commonly used for consumption of narcotics on the tray of a baby’s crib along with drug paraphernalia around the house.”

A search of the home revealed a pouch containing “a purple substance which tested positive for fentanyl” in the mother’s bedroom, officials said. A pouch found in the father’s wallet also “tested positive for fentanyl,” officials said.

The baby’s 35-year-old mother and 34-year-old father were arrested and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, officials said, adding that more charges could be filed once the result of the autopsy is known.

Fernandina Beach is about 35-mile drive northeast from downtown Jacksonville.