A Florida mother is facing a negligent manslaughter charge after her 5-year-old son died from ingesting methamphetamine hidden in his apple juice bottle, authorities said.
On March 23, police responded to a distress call at the Sands Hotel in Riviera Beach, where they found the young boy unresponsive. He was rushed to the hospital but later pronounced dead.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law & Crime, the child had been in the care of a babysitter when he took a sip from a plastic bottle of apple juice. Almost immediately, he spit it out, complaining that it “tasted weird.” Moments later, he began shivering, shaking, and eventually stiffened, his head tilting downward in distress.
Realizing something was seriously wrong, the babysitter contacted the boy’s mother, Heather Opsincs, 37. However, instead of calling 911 immediately, police allege that Opsincs waited an hour before seeking medical help.
When authorities searched Opsincs’ hotel room, they discovered six meth pipes, additional drug paraphernalia, and two plastic apple juice bottles. Lab tests confirmed that both Opsincs and her son had methamphetamine in their systems.
Opsincs was arrested and charged with negligent manslaughter, with police alleging that she had left the contaminated apple juice bottle open in the fridge, where her child unknowingly consumed it.
Hidden Dangers of meth or methamphetamine
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), methamphetamine is a potent synthetic stimulant with a high potential for addiction. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved it for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and short-term obesity management, its use is strictly controlled. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies methamphetamine as a Schedule II stimulant, meaning it can only be obtained legally through a nonrefillable prescription.
However, the vast majority of methamphetamine found in the United States is illicitly produced. It typically appears in powder form or as crystal methamphetamine—also known as “Tina,” “ice,” or “crystal meth.”
While methamphetamine is most commonly smoked, it can also be snorted, injected, or taken orally, making it highly accessible and dangerously addictive. The prolonged use of the drug hurts the human body. However, there are some health effects of the drug that are less known, let us look at some of them:
Paranoia and hallucinations: As per the National Drug and & Alcohol Research Centre, the psychosis of meth is characterised by paranoia and hallucinations, that is: “feeling overly suspicious of other people, and feeling like other people are ‘out to get them’ or ‘having strange beliefs about things that are not plausible’, and hearing or seeing things that aren’t there.
Rapid and irregular heartbeat: According to , it was noticed that long-term meth use may lead to lower heart rate variability (HRV), weakened vagal function, and reduced heart rate complexity.
Increased blood pressure: According to published in the journal Nature, drug use can cause a spike in blood pressure.
Anxiety: Anxiety is one of the most common psychiatric symptoms reported among methamphetamine (MA) users.