Charges Filed Against Chicago Woman in Toddler’s Overdose Death

Justice seems to have caught up with a 58-year-old woman from Chicago, now facing involuntary manslaughter charges for allegedly leaving drugs accessible to a toddler in her apartment back in March.

Just shy of his second birthday, a little boy tragically passed away from a lethal combination of narcotics in an East Garfield Park apartment. Michelle Gandy was only recently arrested on a sidewalk outside the Daley Center.

During a detention hearing, prosecutors claimed that Gandy left a bag of narcotics where X’zayvion Walton could reach it on the night of March 24. According to court presentations, the child ingested the pills, leading to his death.

The specifics of the charges and related court proceedings had not been made public until recently.

As reported, shortly before 10 p.m., responders from the Chicago police and the Chicago Fire Department arrived at an apartment in the 3100 block of West Fifth Avenue, responding to a 911 call. They found X’zayvion unresponsive, and he was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was declared dead.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office later confirmed that the cause of death was a combined overdose involving fentanyl, medetomidine, dexmedetomidine, and what was likely heroin. Medetomidine and dexmedetomidine are sedatives typically found in medical environments, with medetomidine only approved for veterinary use in the U.S.

Additionally, prosecutors accused Gandy of destroying evidence and providing false information, which allegedly delayed the investigation for weeks.

Gandy faces charges of “involuntary manslaughter of a family member” along with child endangerment resulting in death. In court, Cook County Circuit Judge James Murphy III ordered her held in jail, expressing concerns over her “extensive criminal history,” which includes five felonies and 19 misdemeanors.

Interestingly, the court proceedings did not clarify the nature of the relationship between the toddler and Gandy or the circumstances that led to him being in her apartment.