ROLLA, Mo. (AP) — A Rolla couple has been charged in the death of their 22-month-old daughter from a fentanyl overdose after the drug was left on a coffee table within the child’s reach, according to court records.
Reginald Stodulski, 27, and Sassy Stodulski, 28, were charged Friday with second-degree murder and first-degree endangering a child. They are both being held in Phelps County with no bond.
Rolla police found the girl unresponsive at the family’s home on Dec. 21, 2019. She was pronounced dead at Phelps Health Hospital.
Officers searching the home found several items consistent with fentanyl use, according to a probable cause statement. The items included a chunky white substance on the coffee table in the living room. Lab tests later confirmed the substance contained fentanyl, KMIZ-TV reported.
An autopsy found the child’s death was caused by a fentanyl overdose and the coroner ruled the death of a homicide.
Thomas Schmitz, an attorney for Sassy Stodulski, declined to comment. Online records do not name an attorney for Reginald Stodulski.
