A group of children overdosed after a seven-year-old allegedly handed out pills while unsupervised at a Virginia home Wednesday, WTVR reported.
The seven-year-old, whose identity was not shared, is thought to have given the group of children his sleeping pills, police said, according to WTVR. The incident occurred after the children’s adult supervisor left them to go to the corner store, the outlet reported. Police responded to the home when the adult supervisor returned and noted the children’s conditions.
Seven children were present at the home during the incident, the outlet said. They were all under the age of eight-years-old, with four of the younger children, ranging in age from one to four-years-old, being found unresponsive by police.
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All of the children received medical attention at a local hospital following the incident. In addition, the two youngest children were later moved to a second hospital because they were in serious condition, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Seven Inmates Reportedly Overdose In Same Cell Within Hours)
The adult supervisor reportedly was a mother of four who was babysitting three other children, according to WRIC. Police said the mother allegedly told a man who was at the house she planned to leave, according to WRIC. However, according to police, the mother said it might not have been clear enough that the kids needs to be watched in her absence, the outlet reported.
Child Protective Services (CPS) were called in response to the incident, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Lt. Cheyenne Casale of the Hopewell Police Department said the police would “get these kids in a safe environment.”
Casale said that police would “find out who we are going to hold accountable and get these kids in a safe environment,” according to the AP. “That’s our number one goal,” Casale later added.
Details as to whether the adult supervisor will be charged for the incident are not clear at this time, according to the AP.