INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis parents have been arrested for their alleged roles in the death of their 8-year-old daughter, who died from fentanyl intoxication.
33-year-old Lee Cooksey and 35-year-old Brittany Warr were arrested Jan. 29 for Neglect for a Dependent Resulting in Death.
Upon arrival, the family came out of the residence carrying the girl. They told police she had a history of seizures but voiced concerns about her swallowing something, court documents say.
The child was transported to Riley Children’s Hospital, where she later died.
Court documents say detectives arrived at the hospital and met with the responding officers, who expressed concerns about the father's account. Cooksey allegedly mentioned that his daughter often puts things in her mouth and that he saw her with something outside in the back alley. He also voiced worries that she might have come into contact with drugs.
Detectives also confirmed that the girl suffered from cerebral palsey, but her parents said she had not taken her medication for over a year, as she was allowed to "set her own boundaries" concerning her care.
It was also learned that the family had a prior history with DCS for drug use and physical abuse, prompting the immediate involvement of IMPD Child Abuse detectives.
Detectives proceeded to request a search warrant for their home. They noted it was very dirty and cluttered. When collecting evidence from the parent's phones, police found text messages of Cooksey telling Warr he was going to get "dope" from "bro."
The mother, Warr, also allegedly admitted to police that the child could have ingested cocaine or weed.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office ultimately determined the cause of the child's death to be acute fentanyl intoxication.
Warr and Cooksey have an initial hearing scheduled for Feb. 4 at 9 a.m.
