The mother of a child who died from exposure to fentanyl in Outagamie County was in court on Friday as she had her first appearance.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by Local 5, 28-year-old Brooke Seal is facing one charge after her child died from exposure to fentanyl. Details of the incident were released.
On January 6 around 9:30 a.m., authorities were sent to a reported medical emergency involving a two-year-old child. The child was taken to a hospital and was determined to be deceased.
Authorities ended up finding a backpack in the laundry room, which is reportedly separate from Seal’s apartment. The backpack had a gun, which was reported stolen, and a plastic bag that had a ‘large’ amount of pills suspected to be containing fentanyl.
The backpack reportedly had 1,414 pills and a test later showed the presence of fentanyl.
Authorities spoke with Seal on January 6 and asked her about a man who was reportedly temporarily living in the residence. She told authorities she had known the man for about three years and reportedly told authorities she knew he was a drug dealer.
She also said that the man has a ‘few backpacks’. One of the backpacks she described matched the description of the one found in the laundry room.
On the night that the child died, she told authorities that she brought the child to her room and put the child in her bed. She then saw the child blue in color around 9 a.m. and called 911.
Authorities ended up searching the residence and the complaint says that based on the evidence found at the scene, it ‘is clear that the defendant (Seal) exposed the child to fentanyl in her bedroom and in other places in her apartment.’
There were drug-related items found on a small stand near where the child was sleeping, according to the criminal complaint. The items reportedly tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.
There were other items found in different parts of the residence that also tested positive for fentanyl.
Authorities also searched Seal’s phone which had text messages showing her actively looking to buy fentanyl within nine hours of the child’s death, according to the complaint.
Seal is charged with:
- Neglecting a Child – Consequence is Death
- Felony
- Up to 25 years in prison
Court records show that Seal was in court on February 2, and is due back in court on February 13 for her preliminary hearing arraignment. Local 5’s own Paul Steeno was in the courtroom and said that Seal had her cash bond set at $500,000.
No additional information was provided.
By Devin Wiiems – MSN
Tags: Arrests Child Death Child Overdose Children Exposed Opioid Crisis
