Toddler dies of starvation in car seat after mum overdoses
A young boy has starved to death in a car seat in his house as his mum died from a drug overdose.
The bodies of Tiffany Spears, 32, and her infant son, Nicholas Crowder, one, were found in February at their home in Portland, in the US state of Tennessee.
The boy had been strapped into a car seat that was left on a bedroom floor.
The autopsy results released on Monday showed that the woman had been dead for several days when a probation officer making a home visit alerted the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office, officials said.
Tests showed her cause of death to be drug toxicity from methamphetamine and fentanyl, news outlets reported. The 15-month-old boy died of starvation and dehydration. Both deaths were ruled accidental.
The boy’s three-year-old sister was treated at a hospital as a precautionary measure.
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“It appeared the decedent’s sister tried to take care of the decedent for several days,” the autopsy report said, noting that food was found in and around the car seat.
Major Tim Bailey with Sumner County Sheriff's Office told News 4 Nashville in February the situation was “really sad”.
“It takes a toll, you know, having to investigate these types of investigations,” he said.
with The Associated Press
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