A couple from Thorndale, Pennsylvania has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and other offenses following the death of their four-year-old son due to fentanyl exposure.

Jason Moore, 36, and Amanda Moore, 35, turned themselves in on August 11 after being charged with involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of children, and recklessly endangering another person.

The tragic incident occurred on November 29, 2022, when Caln Township Police responded to a 911 call for an unresponsive four-year-old child. Jason Moore was performing CPR on the child when emergency crews arrived and took over.

The child was taken to the Children’s Hospital in King of Prussia, where he was later pronounced dead.

Authorities revealed that both parents had left for work around 7 am that morning, leaving their 13-year-old to care for their younger children, ages four and three. The night before, the couple’s four-year-old son had complained of a headache and was feverish. They gave him Tylenol and a bath, and the child went to sleep on the couch. When the oldest sibling couldn’t wake him, the father was called and returned home.

The investigation found no initial cause of death, but further inspection revealed two water bottles with unknown liquids, a blanket, and a half-eaten lollipop in the home. The lollipop tested positive for trace amounts of fentanyl on January 23, 2023, as did the child’s body.

Investigators also learned that Jason Moore allegedly used fentanyl in the home and was accused of delaying the 911 call to clean up drug paraphernalia. Hair samples from both parents were collected and tested.  Amanda Moore’s sample showed signs of fentanyl, amphetamine, and methamphetamine use.

Bail for each defendant was set at $250,000, and both were sent to Chester County Prison.

The couple is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on August 23 in Downingtown.