A 3-year-old boy died Thursday and his twin is in critical condition after police say the brothers were exposed to or ingested an “unknown substance.”
Emergency crews responded Thursday morning to a Canoga Park address, where the 3-year-old boys had been found unresponsive by their mother, according to a Los Angeles Police Department news release. Paramedics attempted life-saving measures and transported both toddlers to the hospital — but only one arrived alive.
Josiah James was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. He had just celebrated his third birthday two days before.
His brother, who was not identified, is still at the hospital.
It wasn’t immediately clear what substance the children had been exposed to, but KTLA-TV reported that police initially responded to a call about a possible drug overdose. Police would not confirm that account Friday.
The twins’ mother, Jestice James, was arrested on suspicion of murder. James, 22, is being held on a $2-million bail. Police did not provide further details about why James had been accused in her son’s death.
LAPD officials said no other residents of the home were being investigated, but the overall probe, including the cause of the boy’s death, remained ongoing.
While it wasn’t immediately clear if drugs were involved, officials and doctors have recently pointed to a concerning trend of babies and toddlers being increasingly killed by fentanyl, highlighting the deadly capabilities of the extremely potent and addictive synthetic opioid.
Earlier this year, a 2-year-old boy in Lancaster died after being exposed to fentanyl during a visit with his mother that had been approved by Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services. The child had been in foster care but was visiting his mother when he came into contact with the county’s most deadly drug.
His father, who was separated from his mother, plans to sue the county’s child welfare systems for failing to protect the toddler.
