FERRUM BABY TREATED FOR OXYCONTIN OVERDOSE, HOSPITAL OFFICIALS SAY

Her Grandparents Took The 16-month-old Girl To The Hospital When They
Noticed Breathing Problems. The Girl Is Now Healthy And Has Been Placed
With Her Grandparents.

A toddler admitted to a Franklin County hospital with breathing trouble
last Tuesday had overdosed on OxyContin, Franklin County authorities said.

The 16-month-old girl from Ferrum was brought to Carilion Franklin Memorial
Hospital in Rocky Mount by her grandparents, who also live in Ferrum. The
hospital tested urine and blood samples from the girl and discovered
chemical compounds that indicated the presence of OxyContin, said Franklin
County Sheriff's Deputy Sandra Cundiff. OxyContin is a prescription
painkiller popular with drug addicts.

The tests also revealed compounds in the child's fluids consistent with
Xanax, a prescription anti-depressant, Cundiff said.

The girl was taken to Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital and kept in the
pediatric intensive care unit for two days. Released Thursday, she is now
in good health, Cundiff said.

The hospital notified the Franklin County Department of Social Services
Wednesday morning, saying the child had overdosed on the drugs, Cundiff
said. The girl and her 6-year-old sister were removed from the custody of
their parents, who live in Ferrum. The children are staying with their
grandparents. The grandparents noticed the girl's breathing difficulties
during a visit to the girl's parents, Cundiff said.

Cundiff declined to release the parents' names, or details of how the girl
ingested the drugs.

More blood and urine samples as well as baby bottles are being tested at a
forensics lab in Roanoke. No charges have been filed, Cundiff said.