STARKE, Fla. — The Starke Police Department says a newly released autopsy report revealed a three-year-old girl died of a fentanyl overdose in late August.
The girl’s parents, D’Lana A. King and J’Shawn D. Murrah, were arrested Friday on aggravated child neglect charges. King and Murrah are each being held on a $1 million bond.
On Friday night, Action News Jax spoke to Dwayne King, D’Lana’s father and the child’s grandfather.
“We lost my granddaughter earlier this year, and now to have this brought up again, all of us are sad,” said Dwayne.
In addition to the loss of his granddaughter, and his daughter being arrested Friday, Dwayne says it’s been a difficult year for their family.
He tells us his mother passed away earlier this year.
“We’re really distraught right now, and really trying to get ourselves together,” he said.
Police say officers responded to a call of an unresponsive three-year-old at the Orangewood Apartment complex on South Water Street on August 26th.
There, police say they found the girl without a pulse, and began lifesaving efforts until the Starke Fire Department and Bradford County Fire arrived.
Investigators say first responders took the girl to the North Florida Starke Emergency Room, where she was pronounced dead.
Police say detectives then began a suspicious death investigation.
Investigators say they did not spot an obvious cause of death, and the body was taken to the District 8 Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy.
Starke police tell Action News Jax they received the results of the autopsy on Thursday, Dec. 3, which showed the child died of a fentanyl overdose.
Lieutenant Michael Rooney of the Starke Police Department was a leader in the investigation resulting in the parents’ arrest.
“That exam came back yesterday with a positive toxicology result for a high dose of fentanyl,” said Rooney.
Rooney says cases involving children are especially difficult for law enforcement.
“As a parent I couldn’t imagine anything worse than losing my children, and there’s two people who are sitting there right now who have to live with that fact,” said Rooney. “So, it’s somber. You know? It’s not a win for us.”
Dwayne says he there was no indication of his daughter using fentanyl.
He tells Action News Jax he does not believe the child’s parents are responsible for his granddaughter’s death, and asks the public not to speculate on what may have happened.
“Do not make speculations if you don’t know what happened,” said Dwayne. “You have to do due process. Due process has to run its course.”
Police say King and Murrah were the only people in the home when the child ingested the fentanyl.
King was arrested by Starke police and booked into the Bradford county jail.
Murrah was arrested by Alachua County deputies in Gainesville and booked in the Alachua County jail.
Starke police say he will be extradited to Bradford county.
Rooney says Starke police are grateful for the assistance of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
Starke daycare worker, Regina Mann, says neighbors found news of fentanyl claiming a young life in their town disturbing.
“It’s scary how easily a child can get ahold of drugs or medication and just be lost like that,” said Mann. “I work with children every day … I couldn’t imagine anything happening with them.”
Cox Media Group
