A five-year-old boy has died after ingesting apple juice containing methamphetamine while he was left alone in a Florida hotel room.
Heather Opsincs, 37, was arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter in connection to the death of her son, police said in a statement obtained by MailOnline.
Opsincs allegedly left an open bottle of meth-laced juice in the hotel refrigerator, which the child then took a sip of.
Police responded to the Sands Hotel in Riviera Beach on March 23 around 5.30pm following reports that a child was not breathing.
When officers arrived, the boy was being treated by paramedics. He was transported to nearby St. Mary’s Hospital in critical condition and died shortly afterwards.
Officers seized various drug paraphernalia and two empty apple juice bottles from the hotel room. Opsincs was arrested and taken to Palm Beach County Jail, inmate records show.
She appeared in court in shackles and a jail uniform last Friday for a pre-trial detention hearing and was released on $100,000 bond.
Opsincs is also prohibited from contacting two witnesses and anyone under the age of 18, except for her daughter. She is due back in court on April 22.
Heather Opsincs, 37, was arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter after her five-year-old son ingested apple juice containing methamphetamine and died
An anonymous witness, who claimed to be the child’s babysitter, said she saw the boy grab the juice bottle, take a sip and spit the substance out after declaring that it ‘tasted weird’. Shortly after, he began shivering, shaking and sweating. He reportedly became cold the the touch, developed rashes on his skin, vomited ‘black stuff’ and displayed seizure-like symptoms
An anonymous witness, who claimed to be the child’s babysitter, alleged that she had been watching the boy while Opsincs was outside.
The witness claimed she saw the boy grab the juice bottle, take a sip and spit the substance out after declaring that it ‘tasted weird’, according to an arrest report obtained by USA Today.
Shortly thereafter, the child began shivering, shaking and sweating. He reportedly became cold the the touch, developed rashes on his skin, vomited ‘black stuff’ and displayed seizure-like symptoms.
Opsincs waited an hour to call 911 after having been informed that her son was sick, investigators allege.
Medics arrived at the hotel room to find the child with blue lips and a weak pulse, the court documents state. The babysitter also said he performed CPR on the child before the first responders got to the facility.
The child was taken to the hospital where investigators noticed healed bruises on his rib cage area and a ‘fresh bruise’ above his left eye, according to the affidavit.
Opsincs gave a statement to police alleging the child had autism and required special care, including needing assistance when using the bathroom.
She told the emergency room doctor that her child had licked bleach two months prior and that she had to contact poison control for help.
The mother also alleged that she met the babysitter six months ago and that he watches her son up to three times each week.
Opsincs appeared in court in shackles and a jail uniform last Friday for a pre-trial detention hearing and was released on $100,000 bond
Police responded to the Sands Hotel in Riviera Beach on March 23 around 5.30pm following reports that a child was not breathing. When medics arrived on scene the boy was found with blue lips and a weak pulse, court documents state
Investigators asked Opsincs about her alleged use of recreational drugs, which she denied. She did, however, admit to being in possession of edible mushrooms, but claimed they were unopened.
She later twice tested positive for methamphetamine, the affidavit states. Her five-year-old son also tested positive for the drug.
Opsincs was visibly shaken when she appeared in court on Friday for a pretrial detention hearing that lasted roughly 10 minutes and saw a judge describe the case as ‘pretty egregious’, WPTV reports.
The state attorney agreed to a $100,000 bail after her attorney argued for her release.
She was required to turn over any firearms, submit to random drug testing and is banned from contacting witnesses in the case or any minors.
