Mi'vida Cathy Vorlicky-Gamblin
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CANDID ID: MN_23_2398
AGE
1   year
STATE
Minnesota
DATE OF DEATH
12/5/2023
STATE REPORTS
Not Available
SUMMARY OF DEATH
On the evening of December 1, 2023, one-year-old Mi'vida Cathy Vorlicky-Gamblin was found not breathing in an upstairs bedroom at a St. Paul, Minnesota home where she lived with her mother, Tessa Vorlicky (age 20), and father, Derrick Harrison (age 26). The child had ingested fentanyl from drug paraphernalia accessible in the shared bedroom. An autopsy later found fentanyl in her system and a fragment of metal foil in her colon. The home contained extensive drug paraphernalia including over 70 pieces of crumpled tinfoil with residue, a fentanyl pill, methamphetamine, cut straws, and dog feces on the floor. Despite receiving Narcan at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, the child was declared brain dead on December 5, 2023. A child protective hold had been placed on the child at birth because the mother was using fentanyl while in labor. The mother was charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter and the father with child endangerment.
Contexts/Conditions

Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?

The vital records document (MN_23_2398-1.pdf) lists the cause of death as "Complications Of Anoxic Encephalopathy; Acute Fentanyl Toxicity" and describes the injury as "Deceased Succumbed To Fentanyl Under Uncertain Circumstances Of Drug Exposure." The Bring Me The News article states the baby "died after ingesting fentanyl" and that the 911 caller said the baby had "gotten into some of Vorlicky's drugs." The Star Tribune article notes the autopsy "found fentanyl and metal foil in her 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)?

The child ingested fentanyl from drug paraphernalia accessible in the home. The Bring Me The News article states that police found "50 pieces of crumpled tinfoil with drug residue, loose pills, cut straws" in the bedroom where the child lived with her parents. The Star Tribune article further details that police found "more than 70 pieces of crumpled tinfoil with residue, a blue fentanyl pill, a blue computer tablet with fentanyl residue, 13 cut straws and six plastic baggies" in the home. An autopsy found "a fragment of folded metal foil" in the baby's colon. This indicates that dangerous substances and paraphernalia were left accessible to a one-year-old child without appropriate supervision.

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)?

The Bring Me The News article states: "a hold had been placed on the child when she was born at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis in September 2022 because Vorlicky was using fentanyl at the hospital while in labor." This explicitly documents prenatal substance exposure, as the mother was actively using fentanyl during labor.

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?

Individuals Involved

Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?

Was a biological father involved in the death?

The Star Tribune article identifies "Mi'Vida's father, 26-year-old Derrick Harrison" who "was charged with child endangerment." The Bring Me The News article states "The child's father, 26-year-old Derrick M. Harrison, is charged with one count of child endangerment." He lived in the upstairs bedroom with the mother and child, and was the one who found the baby not breathing.

Was a biological mother involved in the death?

The Bring Me The News article states: "The baby's mother, 20-year-old Tessa J. Vorlicky, is charged with two counts of 2nd-degree manslaughter." She admitted to smoking fentanyl the morning of the incident and the drugs that the child ingested were hers. The Star Tribune confirms she was charged with "two counts of second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of Mi'Vida Vorlicky."

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 Bring Me The News article states: "a hold had been placed on the child when she was born at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis in September 2022 because Vorlicky was using fentanyl at the hospital while in labor." A hospital hold on a newborn due to parental drug use is a child protective intervention, indicating prior CPS involvement well before the fatal incident in December 2023.

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 Bring Me The News article states: "The baby's mother, 20-year-old Tessa J. Vorlicky, is charged with two counts of 2nd-degree manslaughter" and "The child's father, 26-year-old Derrick M. Harrison, is charged with one count of child endangerment." The Star Tribune confirms these charges.

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?

The Bring Me The News article states that Harrison "has an extensive criminal record in Minnesota, including four prior burglary convictions and two ongoing criminal cases related to illegal possession of a firearm." The Star Tribune notes Harrison "had six prior felony convictions." Both Vorlicky and Harrison were also arrested on pre-existing warrants at the scene, separate from charges stemming from this incident.

Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?

Multiple sources extensively document parental substance use. The Bring Me The News article states Vorlicky "admitted to smoking fentanyl the morning of the incident" and "admitted to taking a Percocet and smoking methamphetamine the morning of the incident." It also states "At the jail, Vorlicky went through severe withdrawals." The Star Tribune article reports Vorlicky's mother said "both of her daughters are addicted to drugs which they often smoke from tinfoil." Vorlicky was also using fentanyl while in labor with the child in September 2022.

Notable Details

Several notable details emerge from the sources. First, the Bring Me The News article states that "a hold had been placed on the child when she was born at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis in September 2022 because Vorlicky was using fentanyl at the hospital while in labor," indicating that the child welfare system was aware of risk to this child from birth, yet the child was ultimately in the same drug-saturated environment when she died over a year later — raising questions about systemic child protective oversight. Second, the autopsy found "a fragment of folded metal foil" in the baby's colon, meaning the child physically ingested drug paraphernalia. Third, the mother fled the scene on foot when police arrived, and the father "lied about his identity initially" — both were arrested on pre-existing warrants. Fourth, there is a discrepancy: the official vital records document lists the manner of death as "Undetermined," while the mother was nonetheless charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter.

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