2-year-old dies from overdose on fentanyl and xylazine, Florida cops say. Mom charged

A mom tested positive for fentanyl the same day her 2-year-old son died of a fentanyl and xylazine overdose, Florida authorities said.

Melissa Rae Harper, 43, has now been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced Jan. 17.

The charges come nearly 10 months after Harper’s son, Kaden, died after ingesting a lethal drug cocktail, authorities said.

The night before Kaden was found dead, Harper said the four kids in the home went to bed a little later than usual because it was spring break, Jacksonville police wrote in an arrest report.

Kaden had a regular appetite at dinner, then he and Harper went to sleep in the same bed while they watched TV, Harper told police.

The next morning, March 21, Harper noticed Kaden was sleeping in late and rubbed his back to check on him, the report says. That’s when she noticed his back was discolored from what appeared to be a rash, and he was stiff and unresponsive, according to police.

She drove him to the emergency room, but medical staff said he was dead by the time he arrived and had begun turning purple, the report says.

The medical examiner determined Kaden died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and xylazine.

Toxicology reports also revealed the boy had Narcan in his system before he arrived at the hospital, and no doctor had given him medications when he arrived, according to police. He also had Naltrexone in his system, which is used to treat opioid and alcohol abuse.

Harper underwent a drug test the day of the incident, and it came back positive for fentanyl, investigators said.

“Harper denied any drug use and demanded a second drug test be conducted,” police wrote in the report.

Then she tested positive for fentanyl a second time, police said.

Harper was arrested at her home Jan. 16, according to the report.

This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 2:15 PM with the headline "2-year-old dies from overdose on fentanyl and xylazine, Florida cops say. Mom charged."