4-year-old dies of suspected heroin overdose, Missouri police say. Mom is charged
A Missouri woman was arrested after police say her 4-year-old daughter died of a suspected drug overdose.
At 6:24 p.m. on March 16, 4-year-old Sanaa Riggins was found unresponsive on her father’s bed, according to a news release from the St. Louis County Police Department.
Sanaa was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead at 7:29 p.m., officers said.
Police said they found several capsules of suspected heroin at the Jennings home.
When police questioned Sanaa’s mom, she told them she had a severe drug addiction and used heroin in the home that morning, police said. She told officers she didn’t know of anyone else who could have brought drugs into the home, according to the release.
Police said Sanaa’s father had custody of her because of her mother’s drug use, and that Sanaa was born under the influence of drugs.
“(The mother) admitted her addiction likely caused the death of her daughter,” police said.
The 32-year-old woman was charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death of a child. She is being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond, according to police.
Jennings is about a 10-mile drive northwest from downtown St. Louis.
What to know about the US opioid crisis
Overdoses are a leading cause of injury-related death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2021, there were more than 51,000 overdose deaths in the country, according to CDC data. In the past 21 years, drug overdoses have killed more than 932,000 people, the CDC reported.
“The majority of overdose deaths involve opioids. Deaths involving synthetic opioids (largely illicitly made fentanyl) and stimulants (such as cocaine and methamphetamine) have increased in recent years,” the CDC said. “For every drug overdose that results in death, there are many more nonfatal overdoses, each one with its own emotional and economic toll.”
Millions of people in the U.S. have an opioid addiction, according to the CDC. Addiction is a “chronic and relapsing disease that can affect anyone.”
If you or a loved one shows signs of substance use disorder, you can seek help by calling the national hotline at 1-800-662-4357 or find treatment using SAMHSA's online locator.
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