Mother charged after child dies from fentanyl poisoning

Courtesy of the Erie County Prosecutor’s Office

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Sloan woman has been charged in connection with the alleged death of her 15-month-old son from fentanyl intoxication, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

Rachael Alicea, 32, is accused of causing the death of her son, Theodore Alicea Smith, by exposing the child to fentanyl inside a home on William Street in Cheektowaga.

Police went to the home on November 19, 2023 after being informed that the child was not breathing. The 15-month-old was taken to Sisters Hospital’s St. Joseph Campus, where he died later that day.

“This is a very sad case in which a child tragically lost his young life, but it is a crime that could have been prevented,” Acting Erie County Prosecutor Mike Keane said. in a press release.

Alicea is charged with second-degree manslaughter. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

She was held on $100,000 bail. No return court date has yet been set.