Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
HOUMA, La. (WGNO) — A Houma woman has been arrested in connection to the overdose death of her 6-week-old child.
According to the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, 30-year-old Meghan Ashleigh Cortez has been charged with negligent homicide stemming from a February incident.
On Feb. 5, deputies said they were called to a home in the 100 block of St. Louis Street on a report of an unresponsive infant being found around 2:30 a.m.
Upon arrival, they said the body of the child was found and CPR was administered. An ambulance later took the child to a hospital.
Detectives said they contacted Cortez, the child’s mother, and determined that she, another child and another family member were home at the time of the incident.
During an investigation, Cortez reportedly told deputies that she and her two children were asleep in the bed when she woke up to find the infant lying next to her unresponsive. She added that she began CPR until officials arrived.
A search of the home led detectives to allegedly find evidence of drug paraphernalia. Detectives said they later determined Cortez was a heroin user and that she admitted to using just hours before the incident.
Hours later, deputies learned the infant was declared dead and transferred the body to the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s office where an autopsy determined the cause of death to be a fentanyl overdose.
The child’s death was reclassified as a homicide and a warrant was issued for Cortez’s arrest.
On June 3, Cortez was arrested and booked into the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex. She’s being held on a $500,000 bond.
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