Months After 3-Year-Old Girl Died with Meth and Fentanyl in System, Mom Is Charged With Homicide
Authorities allege they found “uncapped syringes, foil and suspected drugs” in the home that were in reach of children
Aiken County Detention Center; Hatcher Funeral Home
A mother in South Carolina was charged with murder after an autopsy on her deceased 3-year-old daughter revealed that the little girl had drugs in her system at the time of her death, police say, according to reports.
Carolyn Scott, 26, has been charged with homicide by child abuse in connection with the death of her 3-year-old daughter Riley Scott, along with two counts of unlawful neglect of a child or helpless person in connection with other alleged victims, according to an arrest warrant obtained by The Augusta Press, WRDW-TV and The Post and Courier.
The arrest warrant obtained by the outlets revealed that an autopsy report showed Riley had died on Sept. 10 due to an overdose from fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Police said they responded to a report of an unresponsive child at the Scott’s home in Jackson, S.C. at around 9:30 p.m. according to the WRDW-TV, which cites arrest warrants. When they arrived on the scene, first responders performed CPR on Riley before she was transported to the hospital and died.
The Post and Courier, citing arrest warrants, reports that Scott told police she'd been doing homework while Riley was asleep and realized something was wrong when another child tried to wake Riley.
At that point, she told police she found her daughter “unresponsive” and noticed what appeared to be “vomit on the bed,” according to the warrants. Scott further said she rolled Riley over on her stomach after she noticed the child “turning blue,” before calling 911.
An investigation determined the child had a body temperature of 86 degrees when she was being transported to the hospital, which allegedly indicated there may have been more than an hour delay from when her symptoms first began to when police were contacted, according to the warrants obtained by the outlets.
Naloxone, a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose, was also found in her bloodstream, indicating that someone administered it to Riley prior to first responders arriving on the scene.
Authorities alleged in the warrants that the children in the home were living in “deplorable conditions” with no running water and with electricity being provided illegally “in an unsafe manner,” according to The Augusta Press. Police also found “evidence of narcotic use” in the home including “uncapped syringes, foil and suspected drugs” that police claim were “within reach of the minor child," the warrants alleged.
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Scott is currently being held without bond at the Aiken County Detention Center, according to The Augusta Press. It's not immediately clear if she has entered a plea or retained an attorney.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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