Two-year-old Terrion Lee O'Field died on October 11, 2022, in Kansas City, Missouri, from fentanyl toxicity. His mother, Tierra O'Field, who struggled with drug addiction, had fallen asleep on a chair with Terrion while keeping a baggie of fentanyl in her bra. While she slept, the toddler accessed the bag of fentanyl. When O'Field was woken by her mother and sister knocking on her apartment door, Terrion was unresponsive and cold to the touch; police found signs of rigor mortis upon arrival. The fentanyl bag was found out and empty, with particles of fentanyl around and under the toddler's body. Detectives also recovered drug paraphernalia including a glass pipe, syringes, and tinfoil with burned residue in the apartment. O'Field was eventually charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter after a delayed prosecution process, and was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2024.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
The medical examiner report (MO_22_544.pdf) lists the cause of death as "Fentanyl toxicity." The sentencing article states that "Terrion, died on October 11, 2022, after getting into a bag of fentanyl that O'Field had left in his reach while she slept." The article further describes that "the bag was out and empty, with 'particles of fentanyl' around and under the toddler's body." This clearly describes a child drug ingestion/overdose.
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 grand jury indictment, as quoted in the news articles, states the defendant acted "by failing to supervise (him) and leaving fentanyl within his reach." The sentencing article further explains that O'Field "had fallen asleep on a chair with Terrion" and that she kept fentanyl in her bra, which the child accessed while she slept. This constitutes explicit evidence of inappropriate 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)?
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?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Tierra R. O'Field, the child's biological mother, was charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. The sentencing article states she "pleaded guilty to first-degree involuntary manslaughter" and that her son "died on October 11, 2022, after getting into a bag of fentanyl that O'Field had left in his reach while she slept." She was the caregiver responsible for the child at the time of death.
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 news articles report that Tierra R. O'Field was charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child via grand jury indictment. The sentencing article confirms: "Tierra O'Field, 32, pleaded guilty to first-degree involuntary manslaughter in December 2024" and "A Kansas City woman will spend seven years in prison after her toddler was found dead of fentanyl poisoning in 2022."
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 sentencing article explicitly states: "O'Field's mother told detectives that Tierra, then 29, struggled with drug addiction." Additionally, the article describes evidence of drug use found in the apartment: "detectives found a glass pipe; a 'whitish rock-like substance;' five syringes coated in burned drug residue; and several scraps of tinfoil also coated in burned residue." O'Field also kept a baggie of fentanyl in her bra, further confirming active substance use.
Notable Details
The news articles describe significant systemic failures in the handling of this case and similar cases. The Kansas City Star's investigation revealed that Kansas City police had submitted Terrion's case to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office in January 2023, but the office initially said they hadn't received it. As the kansascity.com article states: "The cases were not found initially, the office said, 'because of entry errors into our system.'" The prosecutor only corrected the record after the Star's story was published. Furthermore, the prosecutor was "stunned to hear that seven children ages 2 and under died in 2020 from fentanyl in her county" and "said she didn't know about the other four until The Star told her." This indicates a systemic failure in both data entry and inter-agency communication that delayed prosecution and left multiple child fentanyl deaths without criminal accountability. The indictment only came after media inquiry.
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