7-month-old Pennsylvania baby dies from fentanyl poisoning

Authorities in Pennsylvania said they are deciding whether to charge anyone after a 7-month-old baby died from fentanyl poisoning. According to New York Post, little Zhuri Sade Bogle’s parents found her unresponsive in their Pennsylvania home on January 14 after the baby’s grandmother put her to bed. 

Authorities announced the circumstances surrounding the baby’s death in a statement on Tuesday. “When first responders arrived, they found Zhuri’s father performing CPR,” the statement read.

“First responders took over, but at 7:05 a.m. she was pronounced deceased at the scene. Detectives learned Zhuri was in the care of her grandmother and grandmother’s friend the prior evening. Zhuri was already put to bed when her parents arrived home on the evening of January 13th.”

The Medical Examiner’s office said an autopsy determined the opioid was the cause of the minor’s death. Officials also said detectives and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office have been in contact to determine if anyone can be charged in connection with little Zhuri’s death.

The baby was buried on February 7. “This was a wholly unexpected and devastating occurrence that forever changed the lives of Zhuri’s parents and other loved ones,” a GoFundMe that has been set up for the deceased minor’s parents states. “To bury a loved one is not an easy task; it is a strain mentally, emotionally, and financially.”

In a recent report from the nonprofit group, Families Against Fentanyl (FAF), fentanyl-related deaths among children below 14 is becoming a growing trend, New York Post reported. The rate of their deaths is said to be faster than the other age groups.

After reviewing records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the FAF also noted that fentanyl-related deaths among infants doubled between 2019 and 2021. And while fentanyl-related deaths among toddlers between 1 and 4 years were three times higher during that period, the rate among minors between 5 and 14 also quadrupled.