CHICAGO — A 2-year-old boy's death has been ruled a homicide after officials discovered he died from methadone toxicity.
On June 18th around 4:30 p.m., the boy's stepfather discovered the boy unresponsive in his home in the 1400 block of South Kedvale Avenue in Lawndale, according to Officer Jose Estrada, a Chicago police spokesman.
The boy was then transported to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead, Estrada said.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's office identified the boy as Mickel Brown, of the 1400 block of South Kedvale Avenue. The boy was pronounced dead at 6:32 a.m., according to the morgue.
Initially, there were no signs of trauma or injury, police said. But the victim's family told police he routinely had breathing problems and would sometimes wake up gasping for air.
Estrada said the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office later discovered that the death was caused by methadone toxicity, a very strong painkiller.
The Medical Examiner's Office was unable to confirm the ruling Saturday morning.
No arrests have been made and no one is being questioned, police said.
Estrada said an investigation is ongoing.
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