PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- A man and woman are facing charges after Phoenix police say two young kids tested positive for fentanyl, with one being rushed to the hospital last week.
On Friday, just before 4:30 p.m., officers were called to a Phoenix hospital after finding out a toddler tested positive for fentanyl and was in life-threatening condition. Court documents say 32-year-old Michael Leon Moore Jr. originally told police his wife, 23-year-old Slawannie Louisa Parteh, and children were visiting from California. Moore reportedly said they went to an apartment near 27th Avenue and Indian School Road to celebrate with family and returned to their hotel when they noticed the toddler was unresponsive. Moore called a family member, who said the child was exposed to fentanyl. The toddler was then taken to the hospital.
Police went to the Phoenix apartment and met with Parteh outside. Court documents say Parteh told police her 7-year-old daughter was inside with a friend. Officers went inside and instead found the girl sleeping alone in the apartment. Police say they found small plastic bags all around the apartment, two fentanyl pills in the bed, and pieces of aluminum foil in the bathroom. Officers also discovered 160 pills inside a purse in the apartment, according to court paperwork. The girl was taken to the hospital, and results showed she tested positive for fentanyl. Officers found Moore, who was sitting in his car, and found a fentanyl pill on his seat. He told police all the drugs in the apartment were his, investigators said. Moore and Parteh were taken into custody.
In an interview with police, Moore told police he’s the toddler’s biological father. He reportedly admitted all the fentanyl pills were his and said he’d been using them for the past two years. Investigators say sometime around midnight, Moore was alone with the toddler when he turned around and saw the boy put something in his mouth. Court documents say he saw his son’s body go limp, and his eyes rolled back. Moore then reportedly searched the Internet for ways to treat his son before taking him to the hospital. Investigators say he admitted the pills were for personal use but denied selling them, despite officers finding the large amount in a purse. Parteh told police the opposite, claiming Moore sells the drugs.
Moore’s original story didn’t match up. Police say Parteh and Moore lived together for the past year in Phoenix, and Parteh wasn’t visiting from California. Parteh reportedly told police she knew Moore had the pills and had asked him to put them away. However, she said she wasn’t home when the boy put the drug in his mouth and denied putting the 160 pills in her purse. She said she tried to go along with Moore’s story but knew it didn’t match up.
Moore was booked on two counts of reckless child abuse and one count of narcotic drug possession. Parteh was booked on two counts of child abuse.
