ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Two babies are dead after being exposed to the drug fentanyl. Now, prosecutors are pointing the finger at their fathers.
"If that was my kids I would be crushed."
St. Louis County police say the kids were 9-month-old Carter Baumer and 11-month-old Journey Washington.
Their deaths happened in two separate incidents on opposite ends of St. Louis County.
"I done seen people nodding off just laying on the corners and everything just like, it's like the county has turned into a rough city now, it really is," said county resident James Black.
Prosecutors said Journey died in February on Spring Garden Drive in Glasgow Village.
Her father Demarco Washington admitting to losing a capsule in her bedroom where she was found dead.
Several months later in August Carter was found on Adworth drive in Mehlville.
Prosecutors say his father Taylor Baumer admitting to bringing both heroin and fentanyl into their home.
Carter died from both.
"If people had had naloxone in the homes where the kids were exposed then they could have used the medication to help save those kids lives," Brandon Costerison said.
Costerison is the project manager of MO-HOPE. The intiative recommends keeping narcan close by to prevent tragedies.
But Costerison said there's no denying that these children were innocent lives caught in a narcotic crossfire.
"We know that addiction is a mental health condition but that does not excuse criminal behavior," he said.
Costerison said the number of opioid-related deaths in the St. Louis region is rising significantly.
Because dealers are mixing heroin with fentanyl. Fentanyl is 10 times more powerful than heroin.
