Woman charged in death of child after administering fentanyl for toothache

ST. LOUIS (KMOV/Gray News) – A woman has been charged in the death of a teenage girl near St. Louis after police said she gave the victim fentanyl for a toothache, leading to an overdose.

Officials said the 14-year-old girl’s death occurred Oct. 3 in Overland.

According to an Overland police probable cause statement, the girl complained of a toothache to Jacquelyn R. Powers, who is 34 or 35 years old.

Powers gave the girl a pill she found in a drawer and told her it was oxycodone from a previous surgery, police said. Ten hours later the victim was found dead.

An autopsy determined the girl died of a fentanyl overdose, according to the statement.

The relationship between the victim and the suspect is unknown.

The St. Louis County District Attorney’s Office charged Powers with first-degree child endangerment resulting in death. She is currently at large, according to court records. Bail is $150,000 cash only.

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