A community in Hopewell, Virginia, has been shaken by the discovery of a house with seven unsupervised children between the ages of one to seven years old who overdosed on what was thought to be sleeping pills.
Reports cited that the Hopewell Fire Department responded to a 911 call on Wednesday, March 23, in the afternoon and found that four of the seven kids were breathing but remained unresponsive. The rest of the children were lethargic but awake, and they were all brought to the hospital.
The investigators found a bottle of a pill without any label. Initially, they determined that it was for sleeping pills after questioning the oldest child, who was seven years old, according to NBC News.
However, reports later cited that the pills were anti-anxiety medication. It was not clear if this was prescribed for the child they questioned.
Unsupervised Children Expected to Make Full Recovery
Lt. Cheyenne Casale of the Hopewell Police Department told WTVR that they thought the children were in grave danger after overdosing on the prescription pills. The two youngest children had to be transported to a separate hospital with better facilities for their serious condition.
However, Casale said that all of the children are expected to make a full recovery because their bodies were able to metabolize and process the anti-anxiety medication. The police said that the prescription pills might cause lethargy, sleepiness, and unconsciousness when taken in the wrong dose. Casale said that the side effect of a wrong dose in smaller children was akin to a heroin overdose.
Jeffrey Gelina, related to four of the kids, said that the overdose was upsetting. He and his half-brother, the father of the other children, have been sharing the house, which was split into two apartments.
Gelina insisted that they were not unsupervised children. Two adults were looking after the kids, but one of them had to step out to the convenience store some four blocks away for a short period.
Nonetheless, representatives of the Child Protective Services and Social Services also got into the case and had the opportunity to talk to the children. The investigations will continue into who was accountable for the kids and how one of them got hold of the prescription pills.
An Accident or an Oversight?
Casale said that the police will still have to determine if this incident was an accident or an oversight. Subsequently, the police will consult with Attorney Richard Newman on potentially filing criminal charges against the adults involved.
According to ABC News, Newman does not want to comment about the case to the press as it's still under investigation. However, the lawyer said what happened is another reminder for the adults to keep prescription medication out of reach from kids.
The children will remain in the hospital until they are fully recovered and cleared. Social Services declined to comment if they would be placed under the state's custody.
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