The parents of a 16-month-old girl from New York have been indicted in her death after exposing the toddler to fentanyl, the acting district attorney said.
Jimmie Luvert and Lisa Keitt were indicted on second-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child after they exposed their daughter, Akasha Luvert, to the dangerous narcotic, according to Sullivan County's Acting District Attorney Brian Conaty.
It was not immediately clear how the child was exposed to the fentanyl, which caused her death, Conaty said. The 41-year-old Luvert was ordered held without bail; Keitt, 26, was held on $1 million bond. Both were set to be arraigned Thursday. Luvert has been convicted on two previous felonies and nine misdemeanors, according to Conaty.
In addition to the arrests of the parents, the man who allegedly sold Luvert the fentanyl that led to the overdose death, 49-year-old Jacob McCoy, was charged with possession of a controlled substance. Lisa Federico, the 54-year-old grandmother of Akasha, was arrested and charged with child endangerment for smoking crack-cocaine while the toddler was present shortly before her death, Conaty said.
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Conaty also said that County Attorney Mike McGuire, who is responsible for removing children under Child Protective Services, failed to act when CPS tried to remove the child on three separate occasions. The acting DA said that the county needs to make serious changes regarding how it handles neglect and abuse cases with children, saying it needs "bold ideas, vision, and leadership."
"As long as I’m the District Attorney of Sullivan County it is my pledge to you that I will protect our children and go after the people who spread this poison in our county," Conaty said.
