This week, Scripps News released a new installment in its investigative series on child fentanyl poisonings across the U.S.
Reporter Lori Jane Gliha and her team have examined around 460 cases over the past seven years, interviewing nearly 50 individuals—including parents, experts, officials, and even a child who ingested fentanyl at school.
The latest episode features Alex Santiago and Lauren Hinton, parents of 5-month-old twins poisoned by fentanyl in early 2024. One twin was rushed to a California ER and tested positive; shortly after, the other did too. Both parents served six months in jail for child abuse. Hinton admitted, “It was necessary for me to do the time that I did,” highlighting how addiction overshadowed everything else.
Their story echoes that of Tessa Vorlicky, whose 14-month-old daughter, Mi’Vida, died of fentanyl overdose in Ramsey County in late 2023. In an interview with KARE 11, Vorlicky said fentanyl consumed her life and left her unable to care for her child. She, too, expressed that she belongs in jail for what happened.
The numbers are staggering: In our 2014–2022 Child Fatality Report, fentanyl accounted for 1.1% of child deaths we examined. By 2022–2023, that number skyrocketed to 42.8%. Thanks to a recently enacted state law, it’s now illegal to knowingly expose a child to fentanyl. This was a key focus of our Day on the Hill and represents an important step in the right direction.
The fentanyl crisis is destroying families and taking children’s lives. We must support parents in choosing sobriety and hold them accountable—because every child deserves a safe, drug-free home.