A South Carolina man was charged Wednesday in connection with the death of his 18-month-old daughter who overdosed on fentanyl, according to police.
Zy’twan Childs, 21, is charged with homicide by child abuse and possession of a schedule two controlled substance, the Greenwood Police Department announced in a statement.
#BREAKING: Greenwood Police have charged 21-year-old Zy’twan Childs with Homicide by Child Abuse. Greenwood PD says an autopsy showed the 18-month-old girl’s cause of death was a lethal dose of fentanyl in the child’s system. More at https://t.co/LyrqOlMRer pic.twitter.com/VuHzb886Mq
— Cody Alcorn (@CodyAlcorn) June 2, 2021
Authorities say they received a call on April 28 from the Emergency Care Center at Self Regional Healthcare regarding a suspicious death of the child. Police say Childs had “apparently been sleeping with the child on the bed next to him” but when he woke up the child was unconscious and not breathing.
Hospital staffers attempted to revive the child but were unsuccessful, police said. The child was later determined to have died from a lethal dose of fentanyl, according to police. (RELATED: Woman Indicted On Murder After 2-Year-Old Overdoses On Fentanyl)
During the investigation, police said they discovered nearly 50 “blue pills” on Childs’ nightstand which tested positive for fentanyl.
Fentanyl is an opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. One kilogram of fentanyl is strong enough to kill 500,000 people.