A 32-year-old Indianapolis father is wanted on a warrant after his 9-month-old daughter overdosed on fentanyl on the city's southeast side, an incident so severe that doctors at Riley Children's Hospital had to administer six doses of Narcan and place the infant on a continuous drip just to keep her alive. Telly Bluitt is accused of neglecting the child and then obstructing the investigation that followed, including allegedly flushing drugs down the toilet before detectives could search his home.
According to Fox 59, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's child abuse unit opened its investigation in mid-May after the baby was checked into Riley Children's Hospital in life-threatening condition. Court documents cited by the outlet indicate the baby initially received five doses of Narcan that failed to improve her worsening condition before she tested positive for fentanyl and was placed on a Narcan drip, ultimately requiring a sixth dose of the overdose-reversal drug.
Detectives say Bluitt had stayed at the baby's mother's home the night before the overdose. He reportedly told the mother he left the home in the morning, while she left in the early afternoon. Bluitt has said he woke up around 3 or 4 p.m. and told the mother the baby's lips were blue and that he had given her apple juice, per the same court documents referenced by the station.
A Trail of Contradictions
Bluitt called 911 and rode with the baby in the ambulance to the hospital, according to the report. But another child reportedly said Bluitt and the baby were traveling to the hospital in an ambulance, and investigators say Bluitt's own account of events shifted over time — including changing his story about whether he had left his cell phone inside the home.
Detectives responded to Bluitt's listed address in the 7900 block of Bombay Lane and obtained an approved search warrant for the residence. Once inside, a detective observed a Riley Hospital visitor pass belonging to Bluitt, which reportedly contradicted his claim that he never returned to the home. Investigators say Bluitt had visited his mother's residence on Bellchime Drive and later took an Uber back to the hospital.
A preliminary search of the Bombay Lane home turned up Suboxone prescribed to Bluitt but no other narcotics, the station reports. Bluitt allegedly told investigators one narcotic may have simply fallen out somewhere, though court documents obtained by Fox 59 state that he later admitted to flushing drugs down the toilet and having narcotics in his possession at the time of the overdose.
Phone Records and a Prior Drug History
A search warrant executed on Bluitt's cell phone reportedly uncovered multiple conversations about purchasing narcotics, including discussions about buying Xanax and oxycodone, according to the court documents cited in the report. Bluitt has admitted to having a drug problem, the station notes, and he has prior drug charges. Those charges date back to a 2015 multi-agency heroin investigation in Anderson, Indiana, in which law enforcement identified Bluitt and his father as ringleaders of a 24-person distribution operation, according to WTHR.
Marion Superior Court 28 issued a warrant for Bluitt's arrest on August 7, and it remains unclear whether he has been taken into custody. Bluitt faces neglect of a dependent, a Level 3 felony, and obstruction of justice, a Level 6 felony.
What Bluitt Could Face in Court
Under Indiana Code § 35-46-1-4 and § 35-50-2-5, a Level 3 felony neglect charge resulting in serious bodily injury carries a prison sentence of 3 to 16 years, with an advisory sentence of 9 years and fines of up to $10,000, according to legal analysis from Indianapolis criminal defense attorneys. The Level 6 felony obstruction charge, under Indiana Code § 35-44.1-2-2 and § 35-50-2-7, adds a potential six months to 2.5 years and a fine of up to $10,000.
Legal analysts note that Indiana's Safe Haven protections, which shield parents who voluntarily surrender an unharmed infant at a designated location, would not apply in a case involving active drug neglect resulting in severe toxicity, according to legal analysis of Indiana dependency statutes. Because Level 3 felonies are statutorily ineligible for pretrial diversion in Indiana — a program restricted to select non-violent Level 5 and Level 6 offenses — the case would proceed through formal court prosecution, per guidance from the St. Joseph County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
A Wider Pediatric Overdose Crisis
The severity of the infant's medical response is consistent with broader clinical findings on pediatric fentanyl exposure. Emergency toxicology research published in 2024 found that pediatric fentanyl poisonings often require repeated naloxone doses or continuous IV infusions because the drug's potency and duration can overwhelm single-dose reversal treatment, according to research published by Taylor & Francis.
Nationally, drug overdoses have become the third leading cause of pediatric death in the United States, trailing only firearm injuries and motor vehicle collisions, according to research from UCLA Health. Academic research has also documented a severe national surge in infant and child fentanyl exposures over the past decade, driven largely by illicit synthetic opioids, per findings from Brandeis University's Heller School.
Locally, Marion County's drug overdose mortality rate runs nearly double the overall Indiana state average, with synthetic opioids identified as a primary driver, according to the Marion County Public Health Department's 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment. In response, Indianapolis health systems have installed 24/7 accessible NaloxBoxes and expanded free, no-prescription naloxone distribution through emergency departments and pharmacies, according to Eskenazi Health.
It remains unclear whether Bluitt has been apprehended since the warrant was issued, whether the Indiana Department of Child Services has opened formal proceedings regarding the home, or whether additional charges could follow depending on the infant's long-term recovery.
