Baby found dead several hours after overdosing on fentanyl, parents arrested: Deputies
Booking photos for Nicholas and Carissa Alexander. Courtesy: Sarasota County Correctional Facility.
SARASOTA, Fla. - A Sarasota couple was arrested after deputies said their 8-month-old baby was found dead after overdosing on fentanyl.
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said the parents, Nicholas and Carissa Alexander, were arrested on aggravated manslaughter charges in their daughter's death.
Deputies said they responded to a home near I-75 and Bee Ridge Road back on May 31 after receiving a report of the baby's death. They said the 8-month-old girl was found unresponsive in the home and taken to Doctors Hospital in Sarasota by Nicholas and a friend who drove them.
RELATED: Nevada parents face murder charges after 8-month-old dies from fentanyl exposure: police
The baby was in Carissa's care when the child was found face-down on couch cushions inside the home, investigators said.
Authorities said their investigation revealed that the baby girl hadn't been checked on for more than six hours until Nicholas returned from work later that day.
Both parents were detained by deputies and issued warrants for blood and urine samples because they showed signs of impairment, according to SCSO officials.
An autopsy later confirmed that the baby had been dead for several hours before she was found. Deputies said the baby girl also tested positive for lethal amounts of fentanyl.
The parents are being held without bond in the Sarasota County Correctional Facility, investigators confirmed.