Florida babysitter charged for killing baby with her fentanyl fix

Sheriff Tommy Ford announced today the arrest of 40-year-old Mary Elizabeth Evans of Panama City for Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child. The arrest stems from an incident that occurred on June 6th, 2021, in which emergency responders were called to an address in Fountain. Upon arrival, deputies located Mary Evans unresponsive, as well as a nine-week-old child she had been babysitting.

Investigators determined that Evans had purchased narcotics earlier that day and had ingested them by crushing and snorting the pills before taking care of the child. She was discovered unconscious, sitting on the side of her bed, with her upper body completely covering the child. Evans was revived at a local hospital, but the child was declared deceased soon after arrival.

A blue pill that crime scene investigators located near where Mary was found was tested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and confirmed to be pressed fentanyl. This pill matched the description of the narcotics Evans had purchased earlier that day, based on her statement that there was one remaining of the two pills she had purchased. Evans was booked into the Bay County Jail and is awaiting first appearance.