A Curtis Bay mother pleaded guilty Tuesday to child abuse resulting in death and a string of related charges in the July 2024 fentanyl overdose death of her 23-month-old son, closing out a criminal case that began with a 911 call from a Holly Road home found in squalor. Brooke Houck, 29, admitted in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court to child abuse resulting in death, involuntary manslaughter, first- and second-degree child abuse, neglect of a minor, and reckless endangerment.
According to WBFF, Anne Arundel County police were called to the 8100 block of Holly Road in Curtis Bay on July 21, 2024, where paramedics transported the toddler, Landon, to a hospital after he was found not breathing. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later determined he had died from a fentanyl overdose after ingesting the drug inside the family home.
Brooke Houck told police the family had watched a movie on the couch for about two hours before finding Landon face down and not breathing when it ended. She told investigators she had recently relapsed and said her son may have found an empty drug capsule, according to the station's report. Prosecutors say she brought drugs into the home.
Prosecutors Detail Conditions Inside the Home
State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said parents have a duty to shield and protect their children, and described Landon as living in deplorable conditions at the time of his death, per the same account. According to statements relayed by Anne Arundel County prosecutors, four young children resided in the Curtis Bay home, which responding officers found in severe squalor contaminated with accessible narcotics. Prosecutors noted the mother bought and used drugs in the presence of her children.
Formal criminal charges against Brooke Houck and her husband, Nathan, were filed by Maryland authorities in March 2025 following an eight-month police investigation, as reported by the Capital Gazette. The charging decision followed the medical examiner's confirmation of the fatal fentanyl overdose. Nathan Houck was responsible for Landon and his three siblings at the time of the fatal exposure.
Father Already Sentenced, Mother Faces Up to 30 Years
Nathan Houck pleaded guilty in October 2025 to felony child neglect and was sentenced to five years in prison with all but 18 months suspended, along with an order to complete a drug treatment program, according to Anne Arundel County officials. Brooke Houck is scheduled to be sentenced on November 20, and under Maryland statutory code, a conviction for first-degree child abuse resulting in the death of a minor carries a maximum potential sentence of up to 30 years in state prison, per the Maryland General Assembly.
A County Awash in Fentanyl Even as Overdose Deaths Drop
Landon's death stands in stark contrast to broader trends across Maryland, where provisional state health data released by the Office of Governor Wes Moore shows statewide fatal overdoses fell 26 percent in 2025 to 1,315, with fentanyl-involved deaths dropping from 1,314 in 2024 to 906 in 2025. Anne Arundel County has seen an even steeper decline, with opioid overdose deaths falling 70 percent from 226 in 2020 to 69 in 2025, according to Narcotics.com.
Those countywide gains have coincided with expanded law enforcement and public health efforts. Federal and state prosecutors launched the Maryland Fatal Fentanyl Overdose Task Force in October 2024 to coordinate multi-agency investigations and boost prosecutions in fatal drug exposure cases, per the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland. Anne Arundel County also has Safe Stations at police and fire stations, where people struggling with addiction can access treatment and dispose of illicit substances.
Curtis Bay itself has been a focal point of the region's fentanyl crisis. In April 2025, Baltimore authorities dismantled a drug ring that had used vacant properties in the neighborhood to store and distribute fentanyl, targeting open-air markets linked to overdose spikes. Landon Houck's death, and his mother's guilty plea, underscore how the drug continues to claim its most vulnerable victims even as overall fatality numbers trend downward across the county and state.
