INDIANAPOLIS — A man has been arrested for neglect after a toddler in his care died from a methadone overdose.
James Robertson is charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death for the death of 3-year-old Asher Robinson, on January 25.
According to a probable cause affidavit, IMPD detectives responded to reports of an unresponsive child at a residence on Carpenter Court.
Upon arrival around 4:30 a.m., police found emergency medical personnel from Beech Grove performing life-saving measures on the child. Despite their efforts, Asher was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Riley Hospital.
An investigation was quickly launched, with detectives from IMPD Child Abuse Unit being paged to the scene. They learned from medical staff that although Asher showed no outward signs of trauma, he was bleeding from the nose. The situation prompted Detective Hiser to request a search warrant for the residence where Asher had been staying.
While conducting interviews, Asher's guardian, a woman identified as L.R. revealed that Asher had been taken by her ex-husband, James Roberson, to his residence for an errand. She became increasingly concerned when James did not return with Asher as promised.
Witnesses noted that both James and his son, who also lived in the household, were known to have substance abuse issues, specifically mentioning their visits to a methadone clinic.
After executing the search warrant at the Carpenter Court residence, investigators discovered evidence of drug use. An orange pill was found on the bed where Asher had slept, along with syringes and bottles labeled as containing methadone. This led to further investigations revealing that James Roberson had tested positive for Fentanyl. At the same time, a toxicology report indicated that Asher had dangerously high levels of methadone in his system—over 5,000 ng/ml, a dose deemed lethal for a child of his age.
In subsequent interviews, James Roberson explained his actions leading up to Asher's death. On the day prior, after visiting the methadone clinic, he admitted to engaging in substance use while caring for Asher. He recounted how Asher had been sleepy the night before and mentioned a red cup from which Asher had asked for water. It was only after receiving a frantic call from his daughter J.R., who discovered Asher unresponsive, that James realized Asher may have consumed the methadone he left out.
Despite attempting to downplay the seriousness of the situation during interviews, James eventually acknowledged that he had failed Asher. Asked about his awareness of the potential consequences of leaving methadone accessible to a child, he conceded that he understood the risks but did not anticipate the tragic outcome that would follow.
On February 25, James Roberson was arrested and charged with Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death.
