Two Chartiers Township parents are facing criminal charges after their 4-month-old daughter was found with fentanyl in her system and had to be revived with naloxone. The infant was first rushed to UPMC Washington because she was unusually lethargic, then transferred to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. Investigators have described the overdose as potentially near fatal.
What police say
According to CBS Pittsburgh, the scare began on Nov. 24, when caregivers brought the 4-month-old to UPMC Washington after noticing she was far more sluggish than normal. Hospital staff ran tests and found fentanyl in the baby’s system. A small dose of Narcan was administered, and once she was stabilized, she was transferred to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh for further treatment.
Charges and court date
Chartiers Township police have charged Darrell Lee Diaz, 39, and Katrina Marie Post, 31, with endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Observer‑Reporter. The charges were filed by summons rather than an immediate arrest, and both are scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 1:30 p.m. on March 17.
What the complaint alleges
Court filings paint a grim picture of life inside the home. Diaz is described as a frequent fentanyl user who injected multiple “bags” of the drug every day, and Post is accused of helping by obtaining drugs for him, police told CBS Pittsburgh. Investigators say they also found text messages in which Diaz asked Post to lie about where the family was living. An 11-year-old in the residence told detectives she had heard Diaz say that Post would get drugs for him.
A growing pediatric risk
Health experts say this case is part of a troubling national pattern. Opioid poisonings among very young children have been climbing in recent years, with fentanyl showing up more and more often, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Local coverage has highlighted similar close calls in western Pennsylvania, including a one-year-old in New Kensington who was revived after a suspected fentanyl overdose in November, as reported by WPXI.
Legal implications
Under Pennsylvania law, 18 Pa.C.S. § 4304 defines the offense of endangering the welfare of children. The charge is typically graded as a first-degree misdemeanor, but it can be bumped up to a felony if prosecutors can show that the conduct created a substantial risk of death or was part of a broader course of behavior, according to the state statute. That grading structure opens the door to significantly tougher penalties if the Washington County case convinces a judge that the infant’s exposure was more than an isolated accident.
Next steps
Diaz and Post are slated to return to court on March 17 for their preliminary hearing, according to the Observer‑Reporter. The investigation remains active, and the charging documents will likely receive closer scrutiny as the case moves through the Washington County court system.
