Florida Parents Arrested After Middle Schooler Overdoses on Fentanyl Stolen from Home

A middle school student in Englewood, Florida, narrowly survived a drug overdose in her classroom after consuming fentanyl she discovered in her family home. Charlotte County Sheriff’s deputies responded to L.A. Ainger Middle School on March 10, where they found the girl unresponsive. School staff had already initiated CPR, and a deputy successfully revived the student by administering a dose of Narcan. The child was subsequently transported to a local hospital for emergency care and is expected to recover.

Investigators determined the girl had taken an essential oil bottle containing fentanyl from a bathroom shared by her and her parents, 34-year-old Courtney Marie Delaney and 40-year-old Joshua Lee Sanders. The victim reportedly told authorities she had observed her father using narcotics and was curious about the substance. Both parents now face multiple charges of child neglect. Evidence revealed that Delaney was aware of Sanders’ drug use and his habit of leaving illicit substances in areas accessible to children, yet she failed to remove him from the household. Sanders admitted to police that he knowingly left the drugs within reach of his children. Sheriff Bill Prummell condemned the incident as an inexcusable failure of parental responsibility that nearly resulted in a tragedy.