Mother arrested after toddler dies of fentanyl overdose in Phoenix

PHOENIX (AZFamily) – A woman was arrested a year after her 15-month-old son died of a fentanyl overdose in a west Phoenix apartment complex.

Lynandra Walton, 38, is charged with, among other things, premeditated murder, child abuse/neglect, and possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia.

On June 15, 2023, at approximately 12:30 p.m., police and firefighters responded to an apartment complex on 55th Avenue north of Indian School Road after someone called to report that a child was unresponsive and turning blue.

When officers entered a bedroom, Walton was reportedly performing CPR on the toddler. The 15-month-old boy was taken to a hospital and died a short time later.

According to court documents, officers discovered several light blue pills labeled “M30,” believed to be fentanyl, scattered around the bedroom. They also found pieces of foil with burn residue in the bedroom and bathroom, indicating fentanyl use.

Police subsequently spoke with Walton, who allegedly told officers her son was acting normal when she woke up at 6 a.m. and then went back to sleep. When she next woke up, she said she couldn’t get him to respond and called for help.

She reportedly said he was a healthy child, but he was “constantly meddling in things and touching things.”

Investigators later executed a search warrant for the apartment. In the bedroom, officers collected numerous pills stamped M30 from the bed where Walton and her son were sleeping and from the floor around the bed.

Investigators also seized several drug paraphernalia, including glass pipes.

Police also spoke to the man who lived in the apartment, who told them that Walton and her child had been staying there on and off for about a week. He also said he saw the boy running around early that morning, hours before Walton ran out of the bedroom and told him to call 911.

Walton was questioned again at police headquarters. According to the documents, she told officers that she and her son had only spent one night in the apartment. She also said that the drugs and paraphernalia found in the bedroom did not belong to her.

Police contacted the Arizona Department of Child Safety and learned that Walton had multiple prior charges for illegal drug use, including cocaine, methadone and opiates. DCS added that she had lost custody of four of her other children.

The agency also found that four of her children, including the deceased, were drug addicts from birth.

An autopsy later revealed that her son had died from fentanyl poisoning and that there were no other causes.

A blood test revealed that Walton had fentanyl and other substances in her system the day her son died. Tests also showed that pills collected from the apartment contained fentanyl.

On Thursday, Walton was arrested by officers as she left her Phoenix apartment. According to documents, her purse was searched and officers found drugs, including fentanyl and paraphernalia.

During an interview after her arrest, Walton reportedly admitted to taking fentanyl in the days leading up to her son’s death. According to the documents, she also said she took Xanax and marijuana and that she couldn’t remember much about the week her son died.

According to records, Walton had previously been arrested and convicted of drug possession and drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence, resisting arrest, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and other charges.

Do you see a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video to accompany a current news story? Send it here with a short description.

All rights reserved.