An 8-year-old Kentucky boy who died after eating strawberries sold through a school fundraiser died from “fentanyl intoxication,” according to a medical examiner, The Lexington Herald-Leader reported.
Hopkins County Coroner Dennis Mayfield said he did not know how Trey Harris got the fentanyl that killed him on March 15.
Police say they received a call that day of a child who was unresponsive and not breathing. The family told police that their son had eaten several strawberries purchased from a school fundraiser the night before and that he began showing signs of an allergic reaction, WFIE reported.
The 8-year-old was given Benadryl for the rash he had developed, and he soaked in a bath, according to police. When the boy got worse, he was taken to the emergency room on the 14th, and then taken home by his family several hours later.
He was found unresponsive when he was checked on about 6:30 a.m. the following morning.
Officials have released the cause of death of an 8-year-old boy who reportedly died after eating strawberries at a school fundraiser. https://t.co/YFl0RAy6vq
— WTHI News10 (@WTHITV) April 11, 2024
The day the boy died, the health department issued a statement saying the medical examiner had concluded that the boy’s death looked to be an isolated incident of an allergic reaction, pending further autopsy reports.
The Hopkins County Health Department issued a warning on social media to not eat any strawberries purchased at the school fundraiser.
“There could be other explanations, but with caution, we are issuing a statement asking people to not eat these strawberries. Currently, the Department of Public Health Environmentalists are taking samples of the strawberries to the state lab for testing. Although this incident could be unrelated, the decision has been made to exercise caution and advise not eating any of these strawberries,” the Hopkins County Health Department wrote in a statement on its website.
According to law enforcement officials, at first, they did not suspect that Harris’ death had anything to do with drugs.
“As of right now we have no reason to believe that fentanyl or any other type of narcotic is involved in this,” Madisonville Police Department Maj. Jason McKnight said at the time.
According to media reports, a man identified as the boy’s stepfather, Antonio Person, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter, trafficking in fentanyl and drug and gun charges, according to jail and court records.
Person, 33, is being held on $1 million bail.
Jail records do not give details on the manslaughter charge Person is facing.
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