Authorities have identified the 18-month-old boy who died after being found unresponsive at a St. Paul home on Christmas Day.
Jackson Joseph Wendell, 1, died at Regions Hospital shortly after arriving, having been found by responders at his parents’ home on the 1000 block of 5th Street East in Dayton’s Bluff on Wednesday.
The boy’s parents were taken into custody as police suspect that Wendell’s death is linked to drug use – likely fentanyl – in the home, with police currently awaiting toxicology results.
Bring Me The News doesn’t typically name suspects until they have been formally charged. Wendell’s 38-year-old father remains in custody, but his 31-year-old mother was released on Friday pending further investigation.
Search warrants affidavits filed in Ramsey County indicate the couple’s two other children, aged 4 years old and 3 weeks old, were in the home at the time and were evaluated for possible fentanyl exposure.
Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.