Four arrested after Florida toddler drinks meth from sippy cup
Deputies say adults did not call 911 and waited until the child vomited.
CALLAHAN, Fla. — Four adults who lived in a Nassau County home were arrested after investigators said a 1-year-old drank from a sippy cup containing a bag of methamphetamine and later was hospitalized for treatment of a possible overdose.
Deputies said the adults did not call 911 after the drug was discovered and instead monitored the child for hours. The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office said the case began after the Florida Department of Children and Families alerted detectives on Feb. 24. A search warrant later turned up pipes and containers with meth residue at the home, authorities said. The four suspects face felony child neglect charges, and a judge issued an order barring contact with the child.
Investigators said the incident started a day earlier, when the toddler drank from a sippy cup inside the home in Callahan, a community in rural Nassau County near the Georgia line. After the child used the cup, deputies said the parents found a small bag sitting at the bottom. Another person who lived in the house confirmed the bag contained methamphetamine, according to the sheriff’s office. Even after that discovery, deputies said no one called for emergency help. Instead, the adults watched the child overnight. By the next day, the toddler began vomiting and the mother drove to a nearby fire station for help, authorities said. From there, the child was taken to a local hospital and admitted for treatment of a possible overdose. Sheriff Bill Leeper described the case as “heartbreaking and completely preventable,” saying investigators believed the exposure happened because adults failed to keep an illegal drug out of a child’s reach.
Deputies arrested Hayden Simmons, 21; Damien Windham, 21; Erica Catherine Foley, 45; and Judith Addison, 79. Authorities said all four were permanent residents of the home and each was charged with child neglect causing great bodily harm. Detectives did not publicly identify the toddler or name the child’s parents, and authorities have not said who owned the methamphetamine or how the bag ended up in the cup. Deputies also have not released the size of the bag or whether the drug was tested at the scene. After investigators obtained a search warrant, they reported finding drug paraphernalia in the residence, including several glass pipes and containers with methamphetamine residue. Foley was charged with an additional count of possession of drug paraphernalia, the sheriff’s office said. All four were booked into the Nassau County Jail and Detention Center, with bonds set above $25,000 for Simmons and Windham, above $10,000 for Foley plus an added bond on the paraphernalia charge, and above $5,000 for Addison.
While the sheriff’s office described the child as recovering in later updates, it did not provide details about the toddler’s condition, how long the child stayed in the hospital, or what treatment was provided. Cases like this can move on two tracks at once, with law enforcement handling criminal charges while child welfare officials review safety and living conditions. The sheriff’s office said the Department of Children and Families made the initial notification that prompted detectives to open the investigation. Under Florida law, neglect can be based on a single act or a single failure to act when it results in serious injury or creates a substantial risk of death, and the charge becomes more serious when authorities say the neglect caused great bodily harm. In this case, deputies tied the charge to the child’s reported ingestion of methamphetamine and the delay in seeking emergency care after the drug was found in the cup.
The charges were filed in Nassau County, which is part of Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit. Court records cited by Law and Crime showed Fourth Judicial Circuit Judge Steven M. Fahlgren signed an order prohibiting the four defendants from contacting the toddler. Authorities have not publicly announced an arraignment date, and it was not immediately clear when the defendants would next appear in court. Investigators said the inquiry remained active, which can include lab testing of suspected narcotics, interviews with residents and caregivers, and a review of medical records. Deputies have not said whether additional drug charges are expected, or whether prosecutors will pursue allegations tied to the adults’ decision to monitor the child rather than calling 911 after the bag was discovered. The sheriff’s office also has not said whether any of the adults had prior involvement with child welfare agencies, or whether other children were present in the home.
The case drew attention in Nassau County because of the child’s age and the setting, a common household item used for a child’s drink. Deputies said the decision to drive to a fire station came only after the child began vomiting, a symptom investigators linked to possible drug exposure. Leeper said the adults failed to provide “even the most basic level of care and protection,” adding, “There is absolutely no excuse for methamphetamine to be within reach of a child.” The sheriff’s office did not identify the fire station or the hospital in its public statements. Investigators also did not describe the sippy cup itself, including whether it belonged to the child or whether it had been used for anything other than a drink. Deputies said the four adults were treated as responsible caregivers based on their residency in the home and their knowledge of the suspected drug exposure before the child received medical care.
As of the end of the week, authorities said the toddler was recovering while the investigation continued and the four defendants remained charged in Nassau County. The next major steps are expected to be a first court appearance or arraignment in the Fourth Judicial Circuit and any additional filings that may follow the completion of lab work and interviews.