Toddler dies of suspected fentanyl overdose in Portland
PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - A two-year-old in northeast Portland died of suspected fentanyl exposure on Thursday, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) said.
Around 2:30 p.m., PPB was called to a home in the 9000 block of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on reports that a two-year-old child was in cardiac arrest.
When police arrived, they spoke with firefighters who said the little girl had been taken by an ambulance to a local hospital. The girl died in the hospital.
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“It’s really depressing. Something happened to a child. It’s not good but there’s such a flow of drugs in the area. It’s a huge, huge problem,” Paul Hooson said.
People who live nearby said they were shocked to hear what happened, especially in their “tight-knit community” near the Fox Run mobile home park.
“It’s disgusting. It sickens me because I have children and grandchildren. I don’t want to think about it and whoever’s involved, they need to be caught,” Debra Fox said.
According to PPB, evidence at the child’s home and conversations with hospital staff led investigators to believe fentanyl was a contributing factor.
“I am incredibly saddened to hear about the death of this little girl,” Chief Bob Day said. “This tragedy impacts the child’s family, friends, neighbors, the first responders, and our entire community. We at the Portland Police Bureau are committed to investigating and arresting people who are illegally distributing these dangerous substances. And we will continue working with our partners at the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office to ensure they are prosecuted.”
The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.
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