OCALA, Fla. — Deputies arrested the parents of a 15-month-old boy who died after he consumed illegal drugs in their care, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Fire rescue crews pronounced 15-month-old Daltin Lee Miller dead moments after he was deemed unresponsive in the late afternoon of March 1, at his parent’s home at 1412 NE 28th Lane in Ocala, deputies said.
After further investigation, deputies said Daltin’s parents, Daniel Miller and Kelli Starling, lost custody of him because they each tested positive for illegal drugs in their systems.
A month before Daltin’s death, Miller, the boy’s father, gained custody of him while his mother Starling was required to leave the house because she allegedly used illegal drugs. But Starling moved back into the house later that month. Miller and Starling told authorities that Daltin was sick, couldn’t sleep and was congested.
The pair told deputies they woke up out of their sleep and saw Daltin not breathing before they called 911. Detectives and forensic crime scene technicians said they found a black pouch containing drug paraphernalia and a “powdery substance” that tested positive for fentanyl after the incident. The pouch had been in plain sight in the room where Daltin died, authorities said.
Miller and Starling denied they used any drugs recently and reportedly refused to participate in a drug screening.
A medical examiner revealed Daltin’s cause of death to the detective on the case, concluding that he died from acute toxicity from the combined effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine and the horse tranquilizer xylazine. The detective learned there was a “significant amount of drugs in the victim’s blood and liver” suggesting Daltin directly ingested them.
“Based on the fact that Daniel Miller and Kelli Starling failed to make a reasonable effort to protect Daltin from dangerous narcotics in a known drug location, Detective Miller obtained a warrant for their arrests,” the release said.
Officials arrested Miller and Starling at their home Wednesday afternoon and transported them to the Marion County Jail, where they are held without bond. They both face charges of homicide aggravated manslaughter of a child.
