Aiken County authorities are investigating the death of a 1-year-old child who died Friday of unknown causes after being rushed to the hospital in a deputy’s vehicle.
The mother is being charged with possession of fentanyl, but it’s unclear whether that drug had anything to do with her child’s death, sheriff’s Capt. Eric Abdullah said. Her name and mugshot were not immediately available.
The child was identified as Alexavia Aguirre.
Coroner Darryl Ables said it’s unclear whether there is a connection to fentanyl until toxicology tests come back, which usually takes weeks or months.
“We can’t make a call one way or another,” Ables said Saturday night.
Someone made a 911 call about 9:30 p.m. Friday about an unresponsive child at 191 L & L Lane, a trailer located in Hill View Manor. Deputies arrived and found the child in cardiac arrest.
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Officers placed Alexavia in their car and one deputy drove while the other gave CPR. But the child was pronounced dead soon after they arrived with her at Aiken Regional Medical Centers, Capt. Abdullah said.
There were no signs that would indicate any obvious cause of death, the captain said. So it is considered a death investigation for now.
“We will wait until coroner’s outcome as part of this investigation,” Capt. Abdullah said. “We are still doing our part, but a lot of it will depend on the coroner’s investigation.”
He said that fentanyl is clearly a dangerous drug. “I don’t know if that is related in this case,” he said. “It’s a drug epidemic. We have seen fentanyl more commonly, and it is an extremely dangerous substance.”
Last month, North Augusta authorities arrested Brittney Hamilton for allegedly inhaling meth and fentanyl near her daughter and causing fentanyl toxicity and the death of in the baby girl, Mollie Jay Hamilton.
The 36-year-old mother was charged with murder/homicide by a child abuse after the autopsy results came back in the October death.
Greg Rickabaugh is the Jail Report contributor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at greg.rickabaugh@theaugustapress.com
