Gertrude Desir’s two-year-old son died of a fentanyl overdose, deputies said. Detectives believe his drug-addicted mother exposed him to the deadly synthetic opioid.
As of Thursday evening, the Broward Sheriff’s Office had been holding Desir without bond at the North Broward Bureau in Pompano Beach for about two weeks.
BSO Detective Mike Roque reported Morgan Cundle, a child protective investigator for the Florida Department of Children and Families, told him Desir was under investigation for child neglect after her newborn baby tested positive for marijuana.
Desir “admitted to using marijuana a month before she gave birth but denied using cocaine” — even though she tested positive for both, according to an arrest warrant’s affidavit.
The boy died inside a one-bedroom first-floor apartment in Pompano Beach that he shared with Desir, an older sibling, and his grandmother Marie Desir, deputies said. In the bedroom, inches away from his toys, there was a closet drawer full of drugs, deputies said.
Roque reported Cundle said DCF “was warned during the previous investigation that she needed to stay clean in order to keep custody of her children.” Desir’s two-year-old son died on Oct. 7, 2019 — with enough fentanyl in his body to kill an adult.
Roque reported that he discussed the case with Dr. Gary Kunsman in March. The chief toxicologist at the Broward County Medical Examiner & Trauma Services reported Desir’s son had “extremely high lethal levels” of fentanyl in his system.
The toxicology report showed there were 21 nanograms per milliliter in his blood when a concentration of 3 ng/ml is lethal in an adult, according to an arrest warrant’s affidavit.
At the apartment where the boy died, deputies found pill capsules, clear baggies, white powder, brown rocks, and a mini-scale. Deputies later confirmed it was fentanyl and cocaine.
Broward Circuit Judge Stacy Ross issued an arrest warrant on July 13. Jail records show Fort Lauderdale police officers arrested her on July 14 after she was accused of breaking into a home. She appeared in court on July 15.
Broward County court records show Desir is facing charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child, possession of a controlled substance (fentanyl), possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Read the arrest warrant
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As of Thursday evening, the Broward Sheriff’s Office had been holding Desir without bond at the North Broward Bureau in Pompano Beach for about two weeks.
BSO Detective Mike Roque reported Morgan Cundle, a child protective investigator for the Florida Department of Children and Families, told him Desir was under investigation for child neglect after her newborn baby tested positive for marijuana.
Desir “admitted to using marijuana a month before she gave birth but denied using cocaine” — even though she tested positive for both, according to an arrest warrant’s affidavit.
The boy died inside a one-bedroom first-floor apartment in Pompano Beach that he shared with Desir, an older sibling, and his grandmother Marie Desir, deputies said. In the bedroom, inches away from his toys, there was a closet drawer full of drugs, deputies said.
Roque reported Cundle said DCF “was warned during the previous investigation that she needed to stay clean in order to keep custody of her children.” Desir’s two-year-old son died on Oct. 7, 2019 — with enough fentanyl in his body to kill an adult.
Roque reported that he discussed the case with Dr. Gary Kunsman in March. The chief toxicologist at the Broward County Medical Examiner & Trauma Services reported Desir’s son had “extremely high lethal levels” of fentanyl in his system.
The toxicology report showed there were 21 nanograms per milliliter in his blood when a concentration of 3 ng/ml is lethal in an adult, according to an arrest warrant’s affidavit.
At the apartment where the boy died, deputies found pill capsules, clear baggies, white powder, brown rocks, and a mini-scale. Deputies later confirmed it was fentanyl and cocaine.
Broward Circuit Judge Stacy Ross issued an arrest warrant on July 13. Jail records show Fort Lauderdale police officers arrested her on July 14 after she was accused of breaking into a home. She appeared in court on July 15.
Broward County court records show Desir is facing charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child, possession of a controlled substance (fentanyl), possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Read the arrest warrant
Continue reading...
