Six people have been charged with murder and endangering the welfare of a child after an infant died from exposure to meth and fentanyl in Lincoln County, Missouri, according to law enforcement.
A grand jury returned the indictment last week. Dillon Clark gabriel clarke Adam Hauserman Evan Hauserman with selena rodriguez Shauna Walton, Fox2Now reported.
Lincoln County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Wood said In a Facebook post, the U.S. Marshals Service conducted a raid early on Dec. 18 and arrested five of the six people. Suspect Adam Hauserman remains at large, while the other suspects are currently being held on $500,000 cash-only bail in Lincoln County.
“It's an ongoing investigation and it's strategic in the sense that we want to get everyone at once and make sure they can't cooperate,” Lincoln County Sheriff Richard Harrell said.
Prosecutors allege the 49-day-old baby girl may have died hours before people at the trailer park called first responders in August.
“When law enforcement responded to the scene, they found fentanyl scattered throughout the home,” Wood said.
An autopsy determined the infant died from exposure to fentanyl and methamphetamine. Additionally, she had signs of past abuse, including bleeding on the brain and broken ribs in various stages of healing, Wood added.
The child's parents, Gabe Clark and Selena Rodriguez, were also reportedly among those arrested. Rodriguez is charged with murder, even though he was reportedly not home at the time of the infant's death. Wood said investigators believe she was aware there were drugs in the home but still allowed the infant to be there, the report continues.
“We will pursue criminal charges as aggressively and harshly as possible to prevent these unnecessary deaths,” he said.
The Missouri Department of Human Services released a report earlier this year showing that the number of fentanyl-related deaths in children will nearly double in 2022.
“We have identified over 500 residences with a known history of drug activity and believe there are potentially as many as 1,000 children currently at risk in our community. ,” Harrell said.
Mr. Wood said additional charges could be filed as I did.Investigators are continuing to evaluate drugs found at the scene.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Adam Hauserman is asked to contact the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office at 636-528-8571.
