Palmdale mother charged with murder in toddler’s fentanyl overdose death
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- Anaie Flores allegedly left fentanyl within reach of her 2-year-old son, who later died of a drug overdose, prosecutors said.
A 23-year-old Palmdale woman will face a murder charge in the 2023 overdose death of her 2-year-old son, Los Angeles County authorities said Monday.
Anaie Flores was charged with one count of murder and one county of child abuse causing the death of her son, Angel, in November 2023, according to a criminal complaint.
Angel died after overdosing on fentanyl left out by her mother, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Jonathan Hatami, who is prosecuting the case.
Flores was arrested Thursday by L.A. County sheriff’s deputies and held in lieu of $2-million bail, jail records show.
It was not immediately clear who was serving as Flores’ attorney. Her arraignment was continued on Monday afternoon, according to Hatami.
Flores pleaded no contest to grand theft this year and was sentenced to two years of probation in connection with a March burglary, court records show.
Although it is rare for prosecutors to charge adults with murder in the cases of accidental overdoses involving children in their care, it is not unprecedented. Hatami is pursuing a similar case involving the death of a 17-month-old boy in Lancaster.
“Fentanyl is sort of like a loaded gun. If you leave a loaded gun in your house and it’s not locked up properly and you have children, and a child gets ahold of that loaded gun and shoots themselves, the parent should be responsible,” Hatami said in an interview with The Times this year. “That’s conscious disregard for the safety of others.”
At least 11 children younger than 5 have suffered fentanyl-related deaths in California in 2023, according to the state health department.
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