Mother Caused 1-Year-Old Child to Overdose by Keeping Drugs in Motel Room

A woman in North Carolina has been accused of exposing her 1-year-old daughter to illicit street drugs, which led the baby to overdose and die.

Brionce Parks has been charged with child abuse and exposing a child to a controlled substance, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department confirmed in a statement. The investigation into the baby’s death began a day after Christmas on Friday, December 26.

Around 1:20 a.m. on December 26, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers responded to a call for help at a motel on the 3400 block of Queen City Drive in Charlotte, North Carolina. Upon their arrival at the Studios & Suites 4 Less hotel room, police found a 1-year-old girl that was “not breathing,” according to the press release.

The child was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

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Detectives quickly started to investigate what happened, and a guest at the motel told them she was close to the child’s family. The friend claimed that the child’s death may have been the result of a fatal drug overdose, according to WSOC.

Authorities searched the motel room and reportedly found evidence of crack cocaine and fentanyl. It was later determined that the baby was exposed to both drugs, and that ultimately caused the infant’s death, according to an arrest warrant viewed by Law & Crime. Despite connecting the street drugs to the child’s death, it’s not currently known how the infant came into contact with the illegal narcotics.

Through their investigation, police identified Parks as the child’s mother, and later, she was ultimately named the chief suspect in her death.

Parks and her daughter had been living at the motel at the time of the incident. Meanwhile, authorities alleged that she had been “reckless” in her parenting. Authorities also believe that she did nothing to prevent the child from coming into contact with the drugs that ultimately killed her.

The suspect was interviewed by authorities on December 26 and was arrested later that same day.

Despite confirming Parks’ arrest, authorities have not shared many details about the case as the investigation is still ongoing. Meanwhile, an employee at the motel’s front desk told WSOC that police will be reviewing surveillance video from the property to learn more about what happened to the baby.

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Parks is being held on a $1 million bond, according to online records. She is scheduled to next appear in court on January 15, 2026. It is not currently clear if she has entered a plea or obtained legal representation who could address the allegations on her behalf.

Exposing a child to a controlled substance is a felony offense in North Carolina, according to the University of North Carolina School of Government’s website. Those who expose children to fentanyl and carfentanil could face even harsher punishment because the drugs are considered Schedule II substances.

It is not currently known how much fentanyl Parks had in her possession at the time of her child’s death, though the amount may determine her sentence, if she’s convicted. Those who possess four grams or more, but less than 14 grams of the drug will be considered guilty of a class F felony. The punishment ranges from 70 to 93 months of mandatory imprisonment, while the suspect could also be required to pay a fine of $500,000 if the substance that killed her child proves to be heroin, fentanyl or carfentanil.