Mother pleads not guilty in baby’s fentanyl death

At a hearing held Thursday, the young mother of a nine-month-old who overdosed on fentanyl pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.

McKailey Delmonico, 18, is being charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child, possession of a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence following the death of her son, Elijah.

Attorney Nicole Jamieson is representing Delmonico in this case and told the court the defendant struggles with mental health issues.

“She is in need of intensive mental health services,” Jamieson said, and also confirmed that Delmonico is on medication for her mental health. Before this incident, Delmonico was working full-time while also attending high school virtually. She was set to start her senior year this fall.

Previously, Delmonico had a vaping charge and a run-in with law enforcement following a mental health episode. Jamieson told the court Delmonico had at one time been housed at a mental health facility in the area.

While the case is still under investigation by the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Children and Families, Jamieson did say her co-counsel had confirmed with DCF that Delmonico tested negative for drugs except for marijuana at the time of her arrest. Delmonico reportedly told officers she would test positive for marijuana before taking the test. At a press conference held shortly after the arrest was made, Sheriff Bill Leeper said there was some question as to whether Delmonico was pregnant again, but the defense confirmed at the hearing that she is not.

The prosecution made note that Delmonico faces a possible 30 year sentence if she is convicted in her son’s death and asked for bail of a quarter of a million dollars. In response, the defense asked for “something closer to $50,000.”

“I’m not, at this point, willing to consider something that low,” Judge James Daniel said.

Before setting bond, he said, he wanted to ensure Delmonico would have access to the mental health assistance she needs. The next pretrial conference is set for Aug. 22 in Nassau County District Court. The defense declined to make further comment on the issue at this point in time.

According to court records, NCSO deputies responded to a call on June 26 regarding the baby, who was unresponsive, and he was transported to Baptist North Hospital and pronounced dead there.

An autopsy revealed the baby died of a fentanyl overdose. Leeper said test results showed the baby’s blood contained 29 nanograms of fentanyl per 1 milliliter of blood, nearly 10 times the lethal dosage.

Following the results of the autopsy, the mother, herself a minor, was brought in for an interview with detectives. Leeper said she confessed to putting what she thought was cocaine in her baby’s bottle to help get him to sleep. She was subsequently arrested, charged and booked into the Nassau County jail.

Delmonico was 17 at the time of the incident and arrest and was therefore not identified by name in the initial reports, but had her 18th birthday earlier this week.

The case is still under investigation and it remains to be seen if others will be charged in the case. Law enforcement has confirmed there were adults in the house where the incident took place and court records confirm a bag with fentanyl residue was collected from the house.

Just 3 nanograms per milliliter of blood is enough for a fatal overdose in a fully grown adult, making the deadly 29 nanograms per milliliter found in the baby enough to kill almost ten adults.

NCSO is still investigating this case, as well as the Department of Children and Families. In Nassau County, programs and organizations such as Better Together, Family Support Services of North Florida and NCSO’s victim advocates are available to help families who may be experiencing hard times.

hdorman@fbnewsleader.com