Gainesville Police arrested a local woman Tuesday afternoon after she was accused of waiting several hours to seek help for her toddler after he died from a morphine overdose last July.
Police determined that when Tracey Wells, 26, reported that her son, Erin, was not breathing at about 3:15 p.m. on July 27, she had known for more than nine hours that the 2-year-old needed medical attention. The boy was in full cardiac arrest when medical assistance arrived and was pronounced dead shortly after, according to a police report.
On the day of Erin's death, Wells returned from work, having left Erin with two friends, and found her son was "not himself" when he woke up from a nap. She said he seemed drowsy and was unresponsive, but she thought he was just "playing," according to the report.
Police determined Wells knew Erin might have ingested pills since she found a partially chewed Benadryl pill package, but waited at least nine hours before calling 911, according to the report.
She told the call taker during the 911 call "I did not know this was going to happen to my baby," according to the report.
The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide after determining that cause of death was morphine toxicity, according to the report. Erin had a partially digested morphine pill in his stomach, toxic levels of morphine in his blood and a large amount of Benadryl in his system. The examiner determined he had repeatedly ingested morphine over time.
Wells told police she had left her son alone in her house at least ten times in the last seven months because she could not find a babysitter while she went with her friends to downtown nightclubs. Before going to the clubs, she told police she would give Erin his dinner, put up a gate in the doorway to his room, turn on his TV and shut the door. She said she felt it was safer to leave him alone than have someone watch him, according to the report.
A year before Erin's death, Wells was investigated by the Department of Children and Families because she was reportedly using drugs and leaving Erin in his crib while she went clubbing. Her first child was removed from her custody and her parental rights terminated because of family violence.
Police charged Wells with felony child neglect with great bodily harm. Officers took her to the Alachua County Jail where she remained as of press time in lieu of a $500,000 bond.
