A 4-year-old overdosed on fentanyl in a Tri-Cities motel. Her mom now faces prison time
The mother of a 4-year-old who died from a fentanyl overdose pleaded guilty Tuesday to her daughter getting into her drugs.
Judy Bribiescas, 39, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in Benton County Superior Court. She was initially charged with first-degree manslaughter.
Bribiescas has no previous felony convictions. The standard range is about two years in prison. A date for her sentencing hasn’t been set yet.
The girl’s father, Joseph E. C. Walker, 30, of Kennewick, continues to face one count of first-degree manslaughter in Benton County.
It has been just over four months since Bribiescas found her daughter Ryleigh unresponsive inside the Kennewick Econolodge room she shared with her two children and Walker.
“Judy Bribiescas fought to keep her baby girl alive,” her attorney Talitha Hazelton said in a news release about the plea agreement. “But efforts at CPR and Narcan were unsuccessful. Our community has one less child with a bright future and one more grieving mother who lost a loved one to fentanyl.”
Bribiescas became addicted to drugs while she experienced domestic violence. Hazelton said many domestic violence survivors turn to drugs to cope with their abuse and others are provided drugs as a way to control them.
“Judy wants to honor her daughter’s memory and make sure the community has access to resources and support to prevent any other child suffering this fate,” Hazelton said.
People can find a list of resources available in the region here.
Child overdose
While Walker had been ordered to stay away from Bribiescas, security footage showed the two of them walk into the motel room about 8:20 p.m. on Dec. 27, court documents said.
Their 8-year-old son told investigators his parents were in the bathroom for a lengthy period of time. Police believe they were using drugs at the time, court documents said.
While they were in the bathroom, 4-year-old Ryleigh swallowed at least two fentanyl pills. Another was later found stuck up her nose, court documents said.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine and hundreds of times stronger than street-level heroin, federal officials have said.
Bribiescas told police she found the girl unresponsive and called 911.
Security video shows Walker open the motel room door with his daughter in his arms. Before he walked out, he handed the girl to Bribiescas then ran to nearby truck, said the documents.
When the first Kennewick police officer arrived, soon after the 9:30 p.m. call, he tried using Naloxone, a nasal spray used to reverse opioid overdoses, but it didn’t work.
Medics rushed her to Trios Southridge Hospital, less than four miles away. Doctors said she was cold to the touch when she arrived, court documents said.
They found two mostly intact pills, along with multiple pill fragments in her stomach. The pill from her nose was pink and similar to what is commonly known as “Skittles” fentanyl.
When police searched the motel, they allegedly found more fentanyl.
