Investigators said a couple gave their 6-year-old son liquid morphine instead of the medicine he was supposed to take for an ear infection. Yet his parents, who claim it was a mistake, did not take him to get help right away.
"They alleged to have mixed up (the) medication. So instead of giving him the antibiotic they thought they were giving him, they gave him liquid morphine," said Kim Cannaday of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
Lorena Oikle, 41, and Axel Rosa, 44, were arrested on charges of child neglect with bodily harm and drug possession, authorities said.
Oikle told investigators at the hospital she realized she mixed up the medication immediately after she gave it to the boy.
"They said they were going to monitor him so they were well aware immediately that they mixed up the medication, but again, instead of getting him help, they put him to bed to just monitor him," said Cannaday.
But the boy did not wake up.
His parents then took him to the hospital where a worker called the sheriff’s office after realizing the boy had overdosed.
“We have a 6-year-old here that somehow or another was accidentally given a teaspoon of morphine,” the caller told the dispatcher.
According to an arrest report, the parents put him in a cold bath to wake him before calling 911.
The child is in protective custody, authorities said.
"We want to make sure these children are being taken care of, and obviously these individuals are not in a position to adequately care for them," said Cannaday.
Both parents were charged with child neglect because investigators said the parents knew they had done something wrong but failed to get the child immediate help.
Oikle may have access to many other medications because she runs an addicted living facility in Deltona.
Records show the agency for Healthcare Administration warned her about the way she administered medication to patients in the past, claiming one employee wasn’t aware that unlicensed staff couldn’t assist with as-needed medications.
It’s still not known where the morphine came from.
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