MAPLEWOOD, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on Jan. 27, 2022.
A Maplewood woman is charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of her 3-year-old son, who died of acute fentanyl poisoning.
Dakota County prosecutors say 34-year-old Queenetta Jeanette McDaniel is guilty of neglect or endangerment in the death of the boy, who was pronounced dead at Children's Hospital on Dec. 7, 2021.
A criminal complaint details how first responders were dispatched to an apartment in West St. Paul early that morning after getting reports that a child wasn't breathing. When police arrived they were told by the child's mother, soon identified as the defendant McDaniel, that she had been asleep on the couch with the boy and woke up to use the bathroom. She claimed that when she returned her son wasn't breathing, and appeared to have vomited.
The 3-year-old was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared deceased. An autopsy completed by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office determined the defendant's child died of acute fentanyl toxicity. No other injuries or illnesses were documented that could have factored into the death.
The complaint did not detail how the child ingested the drugs.
Investigators learned from members of a regional drug task force that McDaniel had been staying with a friend who was suspected of dealing drugs out of the apartment, including fentanyl. Police suspected after speaking with the defendant at the scene initially that was under the influence of drugs. A blood sample was drawn from McDaniel that later tested positive for Fentanyl.
Witnesses also told police that McDaniel was a heavy and habitual user of illicit drugs, and had been seen smoking fentanyl at the apartment.
If found guilty of second-degree manslaughter Queenetta McDaniel could face a maximum recommended sentence of 10 years in prison.
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