Grandfather indicted in death of 3-year-old who swallowed pill containing fentanyl
A Rome man has been indicted on a second-degree murder charge stemming from the death of his 3-year-old grandson — who investigators believe took a pill containing fentanyl while in his care.
Deajrain Hudson, 3, was pronounced dead a short time after he was taken to Redmond Regional Medical Center on Jan. 8, 2019. Police investigated the circumstances of the death and his grandfather, Antonio Montezz Hudson, turned himself in at the Floyd County Jail in January 2020.
Floyd County Coroner
Gene Proctor earlier said he got a call from the emergency room staff at Redmond around noon last Jan. 8 to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of what appeared to be an otherwise healthy young child.
His initial examination sent up several red flags, and eventually led an investigation by Rome Police Department’s lead juvenile investigator, Randy Gore.
Proctor said Deajrain had been staying with his grandfather for three nights prior the trip to the hospital. Several sets of toxicology results revealed that the pill contained the opioid fentanyl.
“This child died from fentanyl, an overdose of fentanyl,” Assistant District Attorney Emily Johnson said during a February 2020 bond hearing. “Part of the allegation in this is that they did not seek medical treatment.”
During that same bond hearing, Hudson’s attorney Cawanna Mcmichael stated “we may disagree how the pill was taken at my client’s house.”
Hudson, who cooperated with police during the investigation prior to his arrest, was granted bond.