Oregon Mother Faces Manslaughter Charge in Her Son’s Fentanyl-poisoning Death

The mother of a Portland toddler, Kelsey Haws, 32, has been charged with the death of her son almost two years ago. The boy died of a fentanyl overdose two months before his second birthday.

Portland Mother Charged Over Fentanyl-related Death Of Her Toddler Son

Prosecutors indicated that the boy found a plastic straw used to smoke fentanyl left by his mother in their Northeast 120th Avenue apartment on June 19, 2023.

A bail memo indicates that after the child was declared brain dead in a hospital, detectives went to the apartment, where they came upon a squalid environment with garbage and animal feces lying around the home.

Court records show that the straw, called a “tooter,” used by Haws, was in a drawer next to a doodle by a 7-year-old sibling.

The mother told police the boy had knocked over the drawer but claimed she hadn’t looked closely when cleaning because she was in a rush.  The report said, “Fentanyl users keep their tooter straws because they can scrape the inside to get residue.”

Another four fentanyl pills were found inside a lockbox marked “Loko 4 Ever” in the apartment, and neighbors reported that Haws’ children were frequently unsupervised.

Two neighbors had shared their concerns with the Oregon Department of Human Services. The medical examiner indicated that the toddler’s severe chronic pneumonia was likely a contributing factor to his death.

The toddler’s death was one of several fentanyl overdoses reported to police at the time, of which five were fatal. Still,

Haws was arraigned Wednesday on a first-degree manslaughter charge and three counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment (one for each of her three children).

Maybe we could also add today’s other article- also allegations of fentanyl involvement. Really seems to be a scourge. Could also remove this section to bring word count to estimate..