Share this @internewscast.com
Left: Heather Opsincs. Right: Drug paraphernalia reportedly discovered at her apartment in Riviera, Florida, following the tragic incident involving her son (courtesy of the Riviera Police Department).
A Florida mother is behind bars after her 5-year-old son died from ingesting methamphetamine via his apple juice container.
The Riviera Police Department issued a press release stating that Heather Opsincs is facing charges of aggravated manslaughter concerning her son’s death. Around 5:30 p.m. on March 23, police were called to an apartment located in the 2400 block of Beach Court due to a report of a child not breathing. The boy, whose identity has not been revealed to the public, was transported to the hospital by first responders, where he was later pronounced dead.
More from Law&Crime: ‘In prison, they’ll both receive food, unlike their innocent child’: Parents of 11-month-old who died after not being fed for days receive fate
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, investigators later learned that the boy was in the care of a babysitter when he grabbed a bottle of apple juice. The sitter told cops he took a drink but immediately spit it out, saying it “tasted weird.” He then went to the bathroom and returned a short time later “shivering and shaking.” The boy’s lips turned blue and he started the lose consciousness. The babysitter alerted Opsincs and did CPR.
Post Miranda, Opsincs said in an interview with detectives that she was in the back of the apartment complex cleaning out her cooler when she learned of her son’s condition, per the affidavit. She returned to her apartment to find her son having seizure-like symptoms with his pulse fading.
Opsincs admitted to buying edible mushrooms but denied talking any drugs. She tested positive for meth, but insisted it was a false positive. She was tested a second time and it again came back positive for meth, the affidavit said. Her son also tested positive for the drug.
A search of her apartment showed it was in “rather deplorable” condition with rotting food and trash throughout, officers wrote. Cops also collected six glass pipes that were positively tested for meth, the affidavit said.
Opsincs told officers her son was on the autism spectrum and was in need of special care. Cops later learned that the mother called poison control about two months ago after the boy licked bleach at the home. Detectives allege that her negligence and lack of a suitable living space led to her son’s death.
During a pretrial hearing Friday, a judge called the case “pretty egregious,” local NBC affiliate WPTV reported. He set her bond at $100,000. She remains at the Palm Beach County Jail. Her next court date is scheduled for April 22.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
