An Indianapolis woman is facing charges of child neglect after her 9-month-old baby allegedly overdosed on fentanyl.
Marialuiza Ruiz, a 32-year-old woman, was taken into custody this week and subsequently incarcerated at Marion County Jail. She is facing a felony 5 charge of child neglect, which arises from the unfortunate incident of her infant daughter’s overdose.
Infant fentanyl overdose
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Indianapolis Metro police and EMS crews responded to a distress call on Tuesday, reporting an unresponsive child at a residence on the south side.
Upon arrival, the first responders immediately noticed that the baby’s face had turned blue and she was not breathing. They swiftly administered Narcan, a medication used to counter the effects of opioid overdose, and successfully revived the 9-month-old girl.
The girl was rushed to Riley Children’s Hospital once again, where she unfortunately lost consciousness and the medical team observed that her pupils had become extremely small and she had stopped breathing.
The nurses administered Narcan once again to revive the child. Thankfully, she made it through, although subsequent tests revealed the presence of fentanyl in her urine.
Search warrant
IMPD detectives were granted a search warrant for the home where the child was found the next day. The one who initially called 911 was the baby’s mother, identified as Ruiz, who also lived in the house.
During the search of the home, IMPD discovered a number of incriminating items. Police confiscated various items, which included:
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- Two bottle caps with residue on them
- Two spoons with a white powdery substance on them
- Multiple syringes
- An elastic tourniquet strap
The police also took possession of Ruiz’s phone and gathered photographs of the location where the baby was discovered.
Further investigation, DCS info
Detectives also had a conversation with DCS about the overdose case. The workers handling Ruiz’s case informed the police that when the 9-month-old was born, a drug test conducted on the umbilical cord revealed that the child had tested positive for fentanyl.
According to DCS, Ruiz underwent a drug test three days after the child’s birth. The results of this test also indicated the presence of fentanyl.
According to Ruiz, she informed the police that her children, including the 9-month-old who experienced an overdose, were under the care of the state. The mother explained that the Department of Child Services (DCS) had recently granted her unsupervised overnight visits with her children. It was during one of these visits that the infant’s medical incident occurred.
Interview with Ruiz
IMPD questioned Ruiz on Wednesday after collecting evidence and information from DCS. At that time, the mother willingly waived her right to remain silent and agreed to cooperate with the detectives.
According to Ruiz, her children were brought to her house by her grandparents at around 6 p.m. on Feb. 10. She admitted that upon their arrival, both kids seemed to be in good health and showed no signs of injury.
The following morning, she took a shower and left both infants awake, crawling around on the floor. When she finished her shower, Ruiz discovered her daughter peacefully asleep on the bedroom floor.
Ruiz exclaimed that she turned the baby over and was alarmed to see her face had turned blue. This prompted her to immediately dial 911 for help. When speaking to the authorities, she mentioned that medical professionals discovered traces of fentanyl in her daughter’s urine during the examination.
According to the mother, she is currently living alone and hasn’t had any guests over since the children were dropped off. She admitted that despite being clean and sober for the past six months, she recently relapsed and has been using a needle to inject drugs in her garage.
Ruiz admitted that there was a possibility that some of the narcotics had accidentally fallen onto the floor of her bedroom and were subsequently ingested by her daughter. She took sole responsibility for bringing drugs into the home and claimed that it was an unintentional occurrence that they ended up in her daughter’s hands.
Arrest, aftermath
After acknowledging her involvement, Ruiz was promptly apprehended by the authorities and subsequently taken into custody. She now faces a single charge of felony neglect of a dependent, as stated in the official records. It is worth noting that Ruiz remains detained in jail without release and is subjected to a $15,000 bond, along with the requirement of GPS monitoring upon her eventual release.
The trial for Ruiz commenced with an initial hearing on Friday morning in Marion Superior Court 28. The jury trial is set to commence at 9 a.m. on April 21, presided over by Judge Marie Kern.
DEA on fentanyl, child neglect
DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Mike Gannon emphasized the importance of safeguarding children from drugs for those who opt to consume them.
Gannon emphasized the importance of ensuring that drugs are not accessible to young children when individuals engage in illegal drug use. He stated, “If you’re breaking the law using drugs in the first place and you have young kids around, you have to make sure you’re not leaving the drugs out where a kid can get it.”
Gannon emphasized the importance of recognizing the potential danger of fentanyl, even in small quantities. He warned that a minuscule amount of the substance, equivalent to the size of a pencil tip, can be lethal.
Fentanyl frequently gets mixed with other drugs, resulting in numerous unintentional overdoses. Although Ruiz couldn’t specify the exact drug referred to as “dope,” it’s highly probable that it was laced with fentanyl.
Gannon emphasized that there has never been a more perilous period in our nation’s history for drug use. It is crucial for individuals to understand the gravity of using drugs in today’s society and the immense danger it poses.