Columbus police investigating death of 11-month-old as suspected fentanyl overdose

Columbus police are continuing to investigate the suspected overdose death of a boy who was 16 days away from celebrating his first birthday.

A search warrant filed in Franklin County Municipal Court said police got a call around 10:35 a.m. on Aug. 15 from someone in an apartment on the 400 block of Candlestick Court on the city's Far West Side. The caller said an 11-month-old boy was not breathing.

Officers arrived to find the boy unconscious. Paramedics pronounced him dead a short time later.

According to the affidavit for the search warrant, the boy's death initially appeared to be natural because he had no visible signs of trauma. The Franklin County Coroner's office and police began an investigation due to the sudden nature of the boy's death .

Preliminary autopsy results showed the boy had fentanyl in his system , the affidavit says.

The boy would have celebrated his first birthday on Aug. 31.

Columbus police have not released any information publicly about the boy's death or identified it as a homicide.

The Dispatch is not naming the boy at this time because an autopsy report has not yet been finalized and no charges have been filed in relation to his death.

As Columbus police continued investigating, detectives learned that in April 2023, an overdose was reported at the same apartment involving a relative of the boy. That relative was revived with naloxone, which reverses the effects of opioid overdoses .

During a search of the apartment, Columbus police found additional doses of naloxone, as well as an unlabeled pill bottle containing a small number of unidentified pills, according to the warrant.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS.

bbruner@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police investigating death of 11-month-old as suspected fentanyl overdose