TPD: Father, mother face charges after 2-month-old baby died from eating bath salts

The father and the mother of a two-month-old baby is facing charges after the boy died from eating bath salts at the beginning of the year.

Brandon Gavin, 40, was arrested Thursday on a charge of aggravated manslaughter of a child. He is being held in the Leon County Detention Facility without bond.

Heather Metcalf, 39, was arrested Friday in Valdosta, Georgia, by the U.S. Marshals Task Force on the same charges.

According to a Tallahassee Police Department news release, officers arrived midday Jan. 7 at the Casa Bella Inn and Suites on Apalachee Parkway in response to an "unresponsive infant."

More: A new report shows drug overdose deaths still on decline in Florida. But why?

"TPD's Violent Crimes Unit and Special Victims Unit launched a meticulous investigation into the incident and learned the infant died as a result of ingesting synthetic cathinone," TPD said. "Additionally, drug paraphernalia was discovered at the scene and tested positive for the same substance."

The investigation is ongoing, TPD said.

Both Gavin and Metcalf have a history of arrests ranging from charges of possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia to sexual battery, according to court records.

The baby's death was just about two weeks before a three-year-old was found "unresponsive" as a result of drugs at Gibb Mabry Village Apartments on Roberts Avenue.

A further investigation found that the boy died after ingesting fentanyl and acetaminophen, according to court records. Cameren Lakayla Evans, 35, the toddler's mother, was arrested on a charge of aggravated manslaughter of a child. Records say she gave her son to a man who sold narcotics from the apartment.

Breaking & trending news reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com . Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: TPD: Father, mother face charges after 2-month-old baby died from eating bath salts