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Seven Virginia children, including a one-year-old were hospitalized for overdoses, after a ‘seven-year-old gave them sleeping pills.’
Paramedics responded to the emergency at a home on 100 South and 16th Street in Hopewell after the mother of some of the children called 911 around 5.30pm on Wednesday.
They found four children, ages one, two, and three, unresponsive and three other under the age of eight who were lethargic but awake.
The minors were immediately rushed to John Randolph Hospital, and two of the younger kids in serious condition were then transported to another facility.
‘They were left unsupervised for a short period of time and one of the kids that have prescription medication got into it and shared with the other children here,’ Lt. Cheyenne Casale said.
Authorities said a seven-year-old child gave the other children his sleeping pills, which did not have a label, when the mother momentarily left the house to go to a nearby store.
When she returned, she noticed that the children ‘weren’t acting right’ and called EMS and the fire department.
After transporting the children to the hospital, Hopewell fire department contacted police.
Child protective services and the District Attorney’s office are also part of the investigation.
‘[To] find out who are we going to hold accountable and get these kids in a safe environment, that’s our number one goal,’ Casale said.
Three young children overdosed and four others were hospitalized after they took sleeping pills when left unattended at 100 South and 16th Street
After transporting the children to the hospital, Hopewell fire contacted police
Paramedics found four children, ages one, two, and three, unresponsive and three other kids who were lethargic but awake
Melissa Baldwin, who was dropping off her mother in the area, told CBS she was heartbroken when a neighbor told her what had happened.
‘As soon as we pulled around the corner, all I could see was police everywhere. And I’m like, oh my god, what happened?,’ Baldwin told the outlet.
‘We didn’t see them taking anybody in the ambulance, we missed that part, but a close neighbor basically was telling us how even the police officers were helping bringing out the children and running them to the ambulances and such.’
Authorities said some of the children had been dropped off by a woman so another woman she knew who lives at the residence could babysit them.
The minors were immediately rushed to John Randolph Hospital, and two of the younger kids in serious condition were then transported to another facility
The woman babysitting then briefly left the house to go to a store around the corner, and upon returning some of the children eventually became unresponsive, ABC reported.
‘I don’t know the details of their treatment but some are being transported to other hospitals for further treatment,’ Casale said.
After speaking with one of the children and doctors who treated them, authorities found that it contained sleeping pills.
‘They are expected to recover, but because they don’t know exactly how much of the prescription medication they ingested… so they are having a harder time processing and metabolizing [the drug].’ Hopewell police said.
Source: dailymail
