On February 1, 2023, at approximately 3:00 PM, St. Louis County police officers responded to a call at the 10400 block of Count Drive in the Castle Point area after 12-month-old Harmony D. Baker became unresponsive and stopped breathing. Officers initiated CPR and the child was transported to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be fentanyl toxicity and the manner of death to be homicide. The child's mother, 32-year-old Cherelle Nolan, admitted to having a fentanyl addiction and being the only person in the home who used fentanyl. On February 10, 2023, Nolan was charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and was held on a $250,000 cash-only bond.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
The medical examiner report (MO_23_1954.pdf) lists the cause of death as "Fentanyl toxicity." The law enforcement press release states: "Defendant exposed 1 year old Harmony Baker to Fentanyl causing her death." The news article also describes the child dying from "fentanyl exposure."
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)
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?
The law enforcement press release explicitly states: "Nolan is Baker's mother." The news article describes Nolan as "her infant daughter." Both sources confirm Nolan admitted to having a fentanyl addiction and being "the only person in the house who uses Fentanyl," and the probable cause statement accuses her of "exposing Harmony to fentanyl, leading to her 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 law enforcement press release states: "the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office issued charges on suspect Cherelle Nolan, 32 years of age... for Endangering the Welfare of a Child First Degree. Nolan is being held on $250,000 cash only, no 10%, bond." The news article corroborates: "The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office on Friday charged 32-year-old Cherelle Nolan with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child."
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?
Both the news article and the law enforcement press release state that Nolan "admitted that she has an addiction to Fentanyl and is the only person in the house who uses Fentanyl." This is a clear reference to substance use by the parent/caregiver.
Notable Details
The news article provides broader systemic context, citing CDC data that "fentanyl deaths among children 14 and under are rising faster than any other, tripling nationwide from 2019 to 2021" and that "fentanyl deaths among infants increased twice as fast as overall deaths." Additionally, there is a notable discrepancy between the medical examiner's ruling of homicide and the charge of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child (rather than a homicide-related charge such as murder or manslaughter), which may be of interest to researchers studying legal responses to child drug-exposure deaths.
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