Jeanetta Lynette Blow, 29, has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and tampering with or fabricating evidence.
Titusville police were called to Parish Medical Center in June of 2020 for a suspicious death.
According to an affidavit, Blow had brought her 2-year-old son to the emergency room, where staff noted he was unresponsive, not breathing and had no pulse. Medical staff were unable to save the boy's life. Staff also noted that the boy's body temperature was 92 degrees upon arrival.
Blow told detectives she awoke to find the boy unresponsive and drove him to the hospital. She stated that the day before, she took the boy to the park, where he "picked up dirt, licked it, and said 'ew' before she knocked it out of his hands."
The woman claimed she and her children lived with her mother, but police found little to no personal belongings of the family at this supposed residence.
Blow later admitted to detectives that she lives at the Park Vista Apartments with her boyfriend.
Detectives executed a search warrant and found many personal belongings of Blow and her children. A search of a dumpster near the apartment uncovered trash bags containing vomit, soiled paper towels, a stained sheet, plastic gloves and several food items mentioned by Blow.
Once inside the apartment, officers found trash bags identical to the ones found in the dumpster. Officers found a soiled towel in the tank of the toilet. A bag was found in the kids' bedroom that appeared to be stained with vomit.
According to an affidavit, officers found a purple velvet bag containing small plastic baggies typically used to package heroin, as well as clear gloves commonly used when handling heroin, due to the potential exposure to fentanyl. Officers found $5,000 in cash. Officers noted the defendant's boyfriend was known to police to traffic drugs.
DNA testing of the items found in the dumpster tied them to Blow's boyfriend, police said.
An autopsy found that the 2-year-old's cause of death was fentanyl toxicity, ultimately leading to charges brought against his mother.
Blow was able to bond out of jail. Her bond was set at $110,000.