3-year-old dies after suspected drug overdose, twin in grave condition; mother arrested
A 3-year-old boy died Thursday and his twin brother is in grave condition after they were exposed to or ingested deadly drugs, according to law enforcement sources who spoke with The Times.
LAPD officials on Friday declined to expound on the substance involved, but law enforcement sources with knowledge of the case said the toddlers had come into contact with drugs that were laced with fentanyl, the highly potent synthetic opioid. The sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said the drugs were easily accessible in parts of the Canoga Park home where the boys were found unresponsive Thursday morning.
Emergency crews responded just after 11 a.m. to the home on Sherman Way, where paramedics tried to perform life-saving measures on the children, according to a Los Angeles Police Department news release. Both boys were taken to the hospital, but only one arrived alive.
Josiah James was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. He had just celebrated his third birthday two days before.
His brother, whose name was not given, is still hospitalized. Law enforcement sources said he was in grave condition.
In Bakersfield, a 2-year-old died from acute fentanyl toxicity, and his father has been charged with murder. In California, there were 11 fentanyl-related deaths for children younger than 5 in 2023, according to preliminary data.
The twins’ mother, Jestice James, was arrested on suspicion of murder. James, 22, is being held in lieu of $2 million bail.
LAPD officials said no other residents of the home were being investigated, but they provided few details about the case. The overall probe, including the cause of the child‘s death, remains ongoing.
The family has a history with the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, according to law enforcement sources. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case.
Montise Bulley claims the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services failed to protect his 1-year-old son, who died of fentanyl this year. Bulley plans to sue the agency and wants to see reform.
Officials and doctors have recently pointed to a concerning trend of babies and toddlers being increasingly killed by fentanyl, highlighting the deadly capabilities of the extremely potent and addictive opioid.
Earlier this year, a 2-year-old boy in Lancaster died after being exposed to fentanyl during a visit with his mother that had been approved by Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services. The child had been in foster care but was visiting his mother when he came into contact with the county’s most deadly drug.
His father, who was separated from his mother, plans to sue the county’s child welfare systems for failing to protect the toddler.
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