MADISONVILLE, Ky. (NEWSnet/AP) — An 8-year-old Kentucky boy died of a fentanyl overdose last month, not from eating strawberries, authorities said.
The family had told police they believed the boy had an allergic reaction and took him to a hospital.
On Wednesday, police in Madisonville charged 33-year-old Antonio M. Person with manslaughter, after investigators determined the boy died of “fentanyl intoxication.”
Person was living in the same house as the boy and had fentanyl in the home, a police report said, without elaborating on their relationship.
In late March, Person was charged with drug trafficking and illegal gun possession after police searched the home following the boy’s death.
After consuming strawberries sold at a school fundraiser, the boy developed a rash. His family gave him the antihistamine Benadryl and soaked him in a bath at home, but the rash persisted, according to Madisonville police. The family took him to the emergency room, then brought him home several hours later. He died the next morning, March 15.
On Tuesday, Hopkins County health department said testing on samples of the strawberries by U.S. Food and Drug Administration showed they were safe to eat.
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