Parents charged after Elkhart 6-month-old dies from fentanyl, meth poisoning

 Parents charged after Elkhart 6-month-old dies from fentanyl, meth poisoning

By Connor Piper

Published: Feb. 22, 2024 at 3:51 PM EST|Updated: 6 hours ago

ELKHART, Ind. (WNDU) - Two parents have been charged with neglect resulting in death after the loss of a 6-month-old child in January.

According to the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office, Nichole Neely, 42, and Owen Miller, 43, face three different felony neglect charges: one count of neglect resulting in the death of a dependent and two counts of neglect where they placed the dependent in a dangerous situation.

Per court documents, the six-month-old child was found unconscious and not breathing at a home in the 24000 block of Idlewild Avenue on Jan. 18, after a concerned neighbor called police.

Neely, right, and Miller, left, provided by the Elkhart County Jail.

The child was transported to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

In an interview with authorities, Neely told investigators that the child had been lying down in her bedroom with Miller when she went to the kitchen for 10 minutes. When she returned, she claimed the child was limp and not breathing and that they tried to take the child to a neighbor who happened to work in the medical field.

Another neighbor later visited the child’s home, where they found the 6-month-old unresponsive and blue and proceeded to attempt CPR.

Police say that when they arrived at the home, they found trash on the floor, countertops, and table in the kitchen. They also found open containers of moldy foods covered in flies in the kitchen, accompanied by a strong odor of trash and rotting food throughout the home.

Court documents highlight the state of decay the house was in as it was so full of trash that police could only open the door to the bedroom halfway. Police discovered a baby bottle on the bed containing brown liquid with a small fly floating inside.

Miller was treated for an overdose and was given two doses of Narcan before being transported to the hospital after officers spoke with him, and he had difficulty spelling the names of his other children.

An autopsy on the child revealed that they suffered from acute fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity, as well as diaper rash and pulmonary edema; and the child’s blood culture was positive for a Staph infection.

Two other children, ages six and eight, were also in the home and taken to the hospital, where they were treated for accidental fentanyl poisoning.

A map of where the home is located on Idlewild Avenue in Elkhart.(WNDU)

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