On June 26, 2023, 9-month-old Elijah Delmonico was found unresponsive by his 17-year-old mother, McKailey Delmonico, after being placed down for a nap at a friend's home in Nassau County, Florida. The mother had added a powder she believed to be cocaine into the infant's bottle of formula to make him sleep so she could nap. The substance was actually fentanyl, and the child ingested approximately 29 nanograms per milliliter of blood — roughly 10 times the lethal dose. The mother initially denied knowledge of what happened but eventually admitted to putting the substance in the bottle. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death as poisoning by ingestion of fentanyl, and the manner of death was homicide. The mother was arrested on July 11, 2023, and charged with manslaughter of a child and possession of a Schedule 1 substance.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
The fatality report states the child "had died from a fentanyl overdose, having 10 times the lethal dose in his system" and the "cause of death was poisoning by ingestion of fentanyl." The ABC News article provides the specific level: "the baby had 29 nanograms of fentanyl per milliliter of blood in his system."
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The fatality report states the CPT had "positive findings of fatal physical abuse and neglect," and DCF closed with "verified findings of death, physical injury and substance misuse-illicit drugs." The mother deliberately placed fentanyl in the child's bottle, constituting an inflicted harm. While the mechanism was poisoning rather than the typical physical violence examples listed in the question, official findings explicitly classify this as "fatal physical abuse" and "physical injury."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
The fatality report states the mother "placed the infant down on his back, propped on a pillow, with a blanket in a Pack 'n Play." The CPT explicitly noted "Unsafe sleep" in their positive findings of fatal physical abuse and neglect.
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The fatality report states "the mother admitted to putting an unknown powder into the infant's bottle" and "she put it in the bottle because she wanted the infant to sleep so she could take a nap." The medical examiner ruled the manner of death was homicide. The mother was charged with Manslaughter of a Child.
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The fatality report states "The mother was arrested on July 11, 2023 and charged with Manslaughter of a Child and possession of a Schedule 1 substance." However, the mother was 17 years old at the time, making her technically a minor, not an adult. The ABC News article notes she was "booked in jail" (not juvenile detention), which may suggest she was charged as an adult, but this is not explicitly confirmed.
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report states the mother "admitted to putting an unknown powder into the infant's bottle" and "thought the substance was cocaine." DCF closed the investigation with verified findings of "substance misuse-illicit drugs." The mother's possession and use of a controlled substance (which she believed to be cocaine but was fentanyl) constitutes substance use by the parent/caregiver.
Notable Details
Several notable details not covered by the preceding questions are present. The ABC News article reports that "While she was being booked in jail, the suspect told police that she may be pregnant again." This raises significant child safety concerns given the circumstances of this case. Additionally, the mother was only 17 years old, and the child's 17-year-old father (Phillip Word, named in the News4Jax article) stated he did not see his son much but "if his son's mother was tired that day, he would have taken him — no questions asked." The CPT specifically noted that "Even her thought that this might have been cocaine, easily could have been fatal," underscoring that the mother's intent to administer any illicit substance to the infant reflected fatal recklessness regardless of the specific substance. There were no prior CPS investigations involving this family, as stated in the fatality report.
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