Santa Rosa woman arrested after 1-year-old child was exposed to fentanyl, police say

SANTA ROSA. Calif. - A Santa Rosa woman, 39, was arrested on felony charges after police determined her 1-year-old child was exposed to fentanyl due to the mother’s negligence, Santa Rosa police announced on Wednesday. 

Early Tuesday morning, Santa Rosa Police Department officers were dispatched to a home on Boyd Street for a toddler experiencing a medical emergency. Upon entering the residence, an SRPD officer saw the 1-year-old lying unconscious on the ground, not breathing. 

One of the residents began CPR on the child and the officer eventually took over. After about 15–20 seconds of the officer’s efforts, the child began breathing, police officials said.

"Based on interviews and evidence obtained during the investigation, detectives learned that the toddler overdosed from an exposure to fentanyl because of her mother’s negligence," SRPD said in a press release.

Barbara Heywood, the mother, was arrested for felony child abuse with serious injury and is currently being held at the Sonoma County jail. 

This is the third fentanyl-related overdose of a child Santa Rosa police have investigated during the past 12 months, the department said.