A Jefferson Parish grand jury on Thursday indicted a Kenner woman with second-degree murder in the death of her toddler son.
Alexis Callero, 34, is accused of causing the fentanyl overdose death of 20-month-old Leo Callero.
The grand jury also charged Callero with obstruction of justice, according to court records. In a separate case, she is accused of dragging out of her home the body of a man who would later be pronounced dead of a fentanyl overdose, Kenner police said.
Troubled mother
First responders were called to Callero's residence in the 3800 block of East Louisiana State Drive on New Year's Eve morning after receiving a report of an unresponsive child, authorities said.
Leo was pronounced dead shortly after medical personnel arrived. An autopsy and toxicology testing determined the toddler died of acute fentanyl toxicity, according to the Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office.
"There was no evidence of trauma, (and) no other cause of death, other than the narcotics in his system, could be found," Kenner Police Detective Nick Engler said during his testimony at an April 19 hearing in the case.
Investigators searched Callero's room and found a tin container similar to the type used to cook and ingest heroin, according to Engler. Cotton found in the tin tested positive for fentanyl. Residue found in a blue bag in her room tested positive for cocaine, he said.
Callero told police Leo slept in her bed the night before. She left the residence briefly around 5 a.m. but returned to bed a short time later, according to Engler. When Callero woke around 11 a.m. on Dec. 31, she told investigators she found Leo unresponsive.
During the investigation, detectives learned that Callero left Leo with family members the day before he died to buy and ingest heroin, according to Engler.
Leo's paternal grandmother and aunt accused Callero of being a troubled mother battling drug addiction who had already lost custody of her other children. The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services confirmed that the agency had previously taken custody of an undisclosed number of Callero's children.
"Alexis didn't deserve to have Leo at all," said the child's aunt, Lexis Staub, who noted the toddler was born with methadone in his system.
Another death
In the obstruction case, Kenner police were called to Callero's home on July 30, 2022, and found Christopher Weathersby, 37, lying in her front yard, authorities said. He wasn't breathing and was later pronounced dead of a drug overdose.
When officers spoke with Callero, she told them she didn't know why Weathersby was in her front yard or how he got there, Kenner police said.
She then admitted he'd been at her house but told investigators he left. Callero claimed she later walked outside and found Weathersby's body.
But as detectives were investigating the toddler's death, they questioned relatives and determined that it was Callero who dragged Weathersby's body out of the residence, Kenner police said.
Authorities weren't sure whether Weathersby was dead before his body was moved or how long he'd been outside before Callero called police.
After the indictment, the court increased Callero's bond to $600,000, records show. She was being held Thursday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna.
