Roster of babies killed by fentanyl grows by one; toddler’s mother is charged

A 17-month-old girl has died of fentanyl poisoning in Riverside County — adding another case to a growing roster of fatalities that seems to know no boundary on the age or circumstance of the victims.

The baby’s death remains under investigation, and authorities are releasing few details, but on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., sheriff’s deputies from the Norco station responded to a report of a child needing medical aid in the 100 block of 8th Street.

Deputies arrived to find the child not breathing.

“Life saving measures were conducted by deputies and Cal-Fire but the juvenile was unresponsive and was pronounced deceased,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced in a news release.

“The death of any child is heartbreaking, especially one that could have been prevented,” said Sgt. Deirdre Vickers, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Department. “It is unfortunate that the rise of fentanyl use in our communities is now leading to the death of innocent children.”

In 2021, there were 1,557 pediatric deaths from fentanyl, including 40 infants and 93 children ages 1 to 4, according to a new study.

Investigators quickly concluded that fentanyl played a role in the death of the child, whose name has not been released. Officers arrested the child’s mother, Jennifer Johanna Allen, 32, within an hour of the call for help, according to jail records.

No details have been released regarding why foul play or criminal negligence was suspected.

Allen was charged with one count of murder and one felony count of child endangerment, which can include willfully harming a child or exposing a child to harm.

Jennifer Johanna Allen was arrested in connection with the fentanyl death of her 17-month-old daughter.

(Riverside County Sheriff’s Department)

The breadth of stories underlying fentanyl-linked deaths is vast, including those of teens and children. Some youths were trying to harm themselves; some were just trying to get high and never realized that their drug of choice was spiked with deadly fentanyl. Others had simply bought what they thought was a safe medication online. And, of course, a baby will put almost anything in its mouth.

Legal opioids also pose a deadly risk. Researchers say safe storage and disposal of prescription medication is needed to help keep children from harm.

Greater emphasis should be put on harm reduction, experts say, including increasing access to the overdose reversal drug naloxone, also known as Narcan, in homes.

The L.A. school system is among those that is stocking Narcan at schools and with its police officers — in the wake of the overdose death of a student at Bernstein High in September. The district also allows students to carry Narcan with parental permission. Narcan has been administered 26 times at schools in the months since the Bernstein death.

Bail was set at $1 million on each count for Allen, who remains in custody at Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, according to official records.