Infant Daughter Died of Cocaine Overdose : Couple to Stand Trial in Baby’s Death

A Costa Mesa couple whose infant daughter died of a cocaine overdose last year were ordered Wednesday to stand trial on two felony child-endangerment charges, one arising from the baby’s death and the other involving a second child.

Gilbert A. Delgado, 25, and Debbie Marie Delgado, 23, were arrested last October after a police search of almost a year.

Medical evidence presented at their preliminary hearing this week showed that their daughter, Stephanie, who weighed about 12 pounds, ingested four to five milligrams of cocaine.

“That’s about one-tenth of a normal recreational dose of cocaine for an adult,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Marv Stern. “When you only weigh 12 pounds, that’s quite a bit.”

The baby died at the family’s Santa Ana apartment Sept. 6, 1986. Officials at first said they believed she was a victim of crib death. But chemical tests completed about three months later showed the cause of death as a drug overdose.

When police went back to the Delgados’ Santa Ana address to talk to them after the test results arrived, they found the couple had moved.

It was not until Oct. 28, 1987, that police discovered the Delgados were living in a Costa Mesa apartment complex under the name of Chavez.

Officers testified that when they went to the door, Gilbert Delgado answered but denied that he was the man they were seeking. Police then found Debbie Delgado inside with a new baby, Gilbert Delgado Jr.

A search warrant turned up several pounds of cocaine, a set of scales, baggies and records that officials said they believe were related to drug deals.

An acquaintance of the Delgados, Lucinda Hatch, testified that she had bought drugs from Gilbert Delgado and had used drugs with Debbie Delgado.

“We can’t say how the baby got the cocaine,” Stern said. “She might have been near it and swallowed it by accident. It could be that the baby was crying, and the Delgados gave her a small dose to quiet her down.”

Each of the defendants was bound over for trial by Central Orange County Municipal Judge Randell L. Wilkinson on two counts of felony child endangerment, a drug possession count and two counts of possession of drugs for sale.

The first endangerment count involved the dead baby; the second involved 4-month-old Gilbert Delgado Jr.

The Delgados, who hid their faces during testimony when a news photographer was in the courtroom, have declined to discuss the case. Paul S. Meyer, who represents the husband, said his client has instructed him to make no statements about either.

The couple are out of jail on bail pending trial. They are scheduled to be arraigned in Orange County Superior Court on Jan. 22.