A mother in Missouri faces charges in connection with the death of her teenage daughter, who reportedly received a fatal dose of fentanyl after expressing discomfort from a toothache.
On Thursday, court documents revealed that Jacquelyn Powers has been charged by prosecutors in St. Louis with first-degree endangerment of a child’s welfare, leading to the child’s death.
Powers’ daughter, who is 14 years old, reported experiencing a toothache on October 3 at their home in Overland, a suburb of St. Louis.
The mother initially attempted to relieve her child’s pain with Tylenol, but when that proved ineffective, she reportedly provided the teenager with a pill she discovered in her drawer.
Approximately 10 hours after ingesting the pill, the teenager was discovered deceased, as reported by the Overland Police Department.
A mother informed the police that she believed she had administered oxycodone to her daughter, which she claimed was leftover from a prior surgery, as reported by Fox 2 Now.
An autopsy showed that the child died from a fentanyl overdose and had no traces of oxycodone in their system.
Powers explained to investigators that she had the fentanyl pills because she exchanged some of her oxycodone with her mother to “protect” her from the risky pills she was reportedly purchasing on the street.
Authorities reported that Powers subsequently stored the pills in her drawer, which she later gave to her daughter.
Powers acknowledged providing the victim with what she thought was a prescription pain pill, and additional street drugs were found in the home alongside other minor children, as stated in a warrant from the 21st Judicial Circuit Court in St. Louis County.
Powers was taken into custody and was observed being escorted from her Overland residence in handcuffs on Friday, as reported by the outlet.
She is currently in custody with a bond set at $150,000 at the St. Louis County jail.
Powers will return to court on Nov. 19 for a hearing regarding bond reduction.
The preliminary hearing is set for December 11. Powers may be sentenced to life in prison with a chance for parole if convicted, as per state regulations.