On July 19, 2022, 7-month-old Damien Bednarik was fed applesauce by his father, Jason Bednarik, and then rocked to sleep. The father placed the infant in the parents' bed with a pillow on each side and covered him with a sheet, then lay down to nap beside him. When the mother, Angel Boggs, returned home from an errand, the father awoke to find the infant unresponsive, rolled up in the sheet. The infant was transported to Gulf Coast Medical Center where he was declared deceased. An autopsy by the District 14 Medical Examiner's Office determined the cause of death to be suffocation and fentanyl intoxication, with the manner of death ruled an accident. Both parents had tested positive for fentanyl a week prior to the infant's death but denied knowledge of how the infant was exposed to the drug, and both refused to provide urinalysis. Drug paraphernalia, including a marijuana pipe the 4-year-old sibling was found playing with, and a cup of marijuana on the nightstand, were found in the home.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
The fatality report states: "The cause of death was listed as suffocation and fentanyl intoxication." This directly indicates the child ingested or was exposed to fentanyl, resulting in intoxication that contributed to his death.
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)?
The fatality report notes that "the 4-year-old was found playing with a pipe that had been used to smoke marijuana" and that marijuana was found on the nightstand near the bed. Additionally, the infant was exposed to fentanyl while in the care of parents who both had tested positive for fentanyl. The presence of accessible drug paraphernalia and drugs within a child's reach, and the infant's fentanyl exposure, imply inappropriate supervision of the children in the home.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
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 describes multiple unsafe sleep factors: the infant was co-sleeping in the parents' bed with the father, with "a pillow on each side of the infant" and was "covered up with a sheet." The infant was later "found the infant unresponsive rolled up in the sheet." Co-sleeping with an adult, loose bedding (sheet), and pillows in the sleep space all constitute an unsafe sleeping environment.
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
The fatality report identifies Jason Bednarik as the "Father" in the family composition chart. He was directly involved: "the father fed the infant applesauce, and then rocked the infant to sleep. Around 5:30 to 6:00pm the father placed the infant in the parents' bed with a pillow on each side of the infant to sleep. The father covered the infant up with a sheet. The father then laid down in the bed with the infant and took a nap." The infant died of suffocation and fentanyl intoxication while co-sleeping with the father. Both parents had also tested positive for fentanyl a week prior.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The fatality report identifies Angel Boggs as the "Mother." Although she was away running an errand when the infant died, the report notes that "he parents had tested positive for Fentanyl a week prior to the infant's death" and fentanyl intoxication was a listed cause of death. The drug-use environment in the home, to which both parents contributed, led to the infant's fentanyl exposure. Both parents also "denied knowledge of how the infant had been exposed to Fentanyl" and "both parents refused to provide a urinalysis."
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)?
The fatality report states that "he parents had tested positive for Fentanyl a week prior to the infant's death," which suggests some prior encounter with a testing authority (possibly CPS, medical, or law enforcement). Additionally, the report appears to contain a section discussing prior history/involvement (the partially garbled section headed by text that includes references to prior dates), but the text is too corrupted by OCR artifacts to read definitively. The existence of the testing a week prior and the report's structural inclusion of what appears to be a prior-history section suggest prior CPS involvement, but this cannot be confirmed with certainty from the readable text.
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?
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 explicitly references parental substance use in multiple ways: "There were also concerns reported regarding the parents' drug use as well as drug paraphernalia being found in the home." Also, "he parents had tested positive for Fentanyl a week prior to the infant's death." Additionally, "the 4-year-old was found playing with a pipe that had been used to smoke marijuana" and "a cup that had marijuana in it located on the night stand by the bed." Both parents also refused to provide urinalysis after the infant's death.
Notable Details
The fatality report contains several notable details: (1) Both parents had tested positive for fentanyl a week prior to the infant's death, yet the child remained in their care and subsequently died of fentanyl intoxication. (2) Both parents refused to provide urinalysis after the child's death. (3) The 4-year-old sibling was found playing with a marijuana pipe while law enforcement investigated, indicating that drug paraphernalia was readily accessible to children in the home. These details raise potential systemic concerns about intervention (or lack thereof) following the parents' positive fentanyl tests a week before the death.
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