Inset: Brionce Parks (Mecklenburg County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The 3400 block of Queen City Drive in Charlotte, North Carolina (Google Maps).
A tragic incident in Charlotte, North Carolina, has led to the arrest of a woman accused of her infant daughter’s drug-related death. The young mother is facing serious charges in connection with the heartbreaking event.
Brionce Parks, aged 26, has been formally charged with felony child abuse and exposing a child to a controlled substance. These charges come in the wake of an investigation that commenced shortly after Christmas.
In the early hours of Friday, around 1:20 a.m., officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded to an emergency call at a motel located on the 3400 block of Queen City Drive. Upon arrival at the Studios & Suites 4 Less, they discovered a 1-year-old girl who was unresponsive, as detailed in an official press statement.
The child, identified as Kamelah Doris Michilena, was immediately transported to a nearby hospital. Tragically, she was pronounced dead upon arrival.
As detectives delved into the circumstances surrounding the incident, a guest at the motel—who had a close relationship with the child’s family—suggested that the child’s death might have resulted from a drug overdose, according to a report by local ABC affiliate WSOC.
The investigation progressed, and authorities reportedly found evidence of crack cocaine and fentanyl at the scene, further complicating the case.
As it turns out, Kamelah was exposed to both drugs, and those drugs caused her death, according to an arrest warrant reviewed by Law&Crime. It is unclear how exactly the child came into contact with the narcotics in question.
Parks was identified as the child’s mother — and then the suspect in her death, the police department said.
The defendant was living at the motel with her daughter at the time, but authorities maintain she was “reckless” in her parenting and allowed the child’s death to occur.
The suspect was interviewed and arrested later on Friday.
Details of the case are limited as the investigation continues.
Parks is being held under a $1 million bond; she is next scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 15, 2026.
