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Mother Avoids Jail for Infant's Drug-Tainted Death
25 Aug
Summary
- Mother received a two-year conditional sentence for infant's death.
- Infant died from carfentanil, fentanyl, and cocaine toxicity.
- Mother is undergoing addiction treatment and is sober.
A Winnipeg mother, Latasha Stewart, received a two-year conditional sentence order for failing to provide the necessaries of life after her 13-month-old son, Romeo, died from drug toxicity. Romeo was found unresponsive in their Sherbrook Street apartment on December 29, 2022, and later pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed the infant's death resulted from carfentanil, fentanyl, and cocaine toxicity.
Manitoba provincial court Judge Malcolm McDonald described the case as tragic, noting that Stewart attempted to take her own life after learning of her son's death. She is currently in addiction treatment and must adhere to a strict curfew and abstain from drugs and alcohol.
The court heard that Romeo's father also died from a drug overdose shortly after the child's death, a loss that compounded the family's trauma. Evidence found in the apartment included drug residue on items near a baby walker. Stewart, who is over a year sober, has been actively participating in grief counseling and addiction treatment.
