A Pennsylvania infant died from acute fentanyl toxicity, authorities announced Tuesday, two months after the passing of 7-month-old Zhuri Sade Bogle.
The seven-month-old was found unconscious in her bed at 6.44am in Penn Hills on January 14, 2023.
According to Allegheny County officials: ‘When first responders arrived, they found Zhuri’s father performing CPR. First responders took over, but at 7:05 a.m. she was pronounced deceased at the scene.’
‘Detectives learned Zhuri was in the care of her grandmother and grandmother’s friend the prior evening. Zhuri was already put to bed when her parents arrived home on the evening of January 13th.’
Seven month old babu girl Zhuri Sade Bogle, who died in January of a fentanyl overdose
Zhuri is pictured here with her devastated parents Barrington Bogle Jr. (left) and Mercedes Williams (right)
The announcement comes after the Allegheny County Medical Examiner learned her cause of death.
Zhuri died at her home where, the night before, she was being cared for by her grandmother and a friend of her grandmother’s.
The baby was already in bed when her parents got home on the night of January 13, according to police.
Detectives are now consulting with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office about whether or not to bring charges, according to the release.
On a GoFundMe page established to assist Zhuri’s parents, Mercedes Williams and Barrington Bogle Jr., a friend wrote: ‘This was a wholly unexpected and devastating occurrence that forever changed the lives of Zhuri’s parents and other loved ones.’
‘To bury a loved one is not an easy task; it is a strain mentally, emotionally, and financially. Please support Zhuri’s parents, Mercedes and Barrington, during their time of need and lift them in prayer, with light and love,’ it continued.
Several months ago, a San Francisco tech boss nearly suffered a similar fate to Zhuri’s parents, when one of his ten month old twins ingested fentanyl while out playing.
Ivan Matkovic, 35, was called by his twin sons’ nanny to the neighborhood George Moscone playground where he found paramedics standing around his child, holding a mask connected to a breathing apparatus over his son’s mouth.
The nanny had previously called Matkovic, the founder of IT and consulting tech company Spendgo, to inform him one of his children was not breathing properly and that she was going to begin administering CPR and call 911.
When paramedics arrived at the playground and saw there was nothing obstructing the baby Sena’s ability to breathe, they administered Narcan – a drug used to reverse the effects of a fentanyl overdose.
Within seconds, according to an account of the incident in the San Francisco Chronicle, the baby began breathing and crying again.
Medical staff at the hospital later ran tests that confirmed baby Matkovic had fentanyl in his system. After the child was observed for more than six hours, the family was sent home close to midnight.
The little girl was being looked after the night before she was found dead by her grandmother and her grandmother’s friend
The house in which baby Zhuri was pronounced dead on the morning of January 14
Ivan Matkovic and his 10-month-old son Sena, who accidentally ingested fentanyl at a neighborhood playground on Tuesday
Naloxone – commonly sold as Narcan – is a lifesaving drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdoes as it is happening. Often, however, drug users are taking illicit substance alone, meaning there is no one onsite to administer the drug
Los Angeles County is confronting the shocking revelation that fentanyl linked deaths have increased 13-fold in just five years as the synthetic opioid has taken over the street drug trade
A national study from the Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association indicates that at least 25 young children overdosed on fentanyl – a dozen fatally – between 2003 and 2014. That number will likely climb significantly as the reality of the fentanyl crisis grips many major US cities.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid many times more powerful than heroin, is often mixed with cocaine and other stimulants and consumed unknowingly by recreational drug users.
After the number of US deaths related to overdoses linked to synthetic opioids climbed to 70,000 last year, public health officials continue to sound the alarm over the extremely potent nature of the drug.
Overdose deaths have skyrocketed over the last three years, rising by 50% from 52,000 in 2016 to 106,000 in 2021.
The White House attributes the majority to fentanyl poisoning or overdose, and say the drug comes almost entirely from China via Mexico, with a handful of cartels responsible for bringing them across the border.
Six out of 10 fake prescription pills tested by the DEA in 2022 contained fentanyl, and the ‘vast majority’ came from the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels.
For years, the synthetic drug had been used as a cheaper, more readily available substitute for heroin. Now though, it is being chopped up with cocaine, MDMA and packed into pills too.
