Port Orchard mom charged in fentanyl death of 11-year-old daughter dies in custody
Mom accused in fentanyl death of daughter dies in custody
A woman accused of smoking fentanyl with her 11-year-old daughter was recently arrested but died while in Kitsap County Jail
PORT ORCHARD, Wash. - A Port Orchard woman charged with controlled substance homicide after her 11-year-old daughter died of a fentanyl overdose earlier this year has died in custody.
40-year-old Stephanie Melton was found unresponsive in her Kitsap County Jail cell on Dec. 13 when a corrections officer was conducting a routine check, according to the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office.
Staff attempted life-saving measures before she was able to be taken to Saint Michael's Medical Center. She later died at the hospital.
A medical examiner will determine the cause of death during an autopsy, which is scheduled for Dec. 15.
FOX 13 News will have updates as they become available.
Melton was accused of smoking fenantyl in her home on May 6 and giving some to her 11-year-old daughter to smoke.
Court documents say Melton and her daughter started smoking Percocet pills that night and that the child had taken multiple hits.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Port Orchard mom charged with homicide after 11-year-old daughter dies of fentanyl overdose
According to court documents, Melton told the housemate that "she was the mother" and that she would "rather have her [daughter] do it at home rather than do it on the street or somewhere she can't be watched."
Later that night, she told officers that she thought her daughter looked like she was sleeping in a chair. When she approached her daughter, she said her lips were blue. Melton said she tried to wake her daughter up, realized she wasn't breathing, and pulled her onto the floor and began CPR.
The second person in the house called 911 around 1 p.m. that day.
The following day, Melton asked another person to clear out the garbage cans in case investigators were sent to the residence, according to court documents.
The 11-year-old was officially declared brain-dead. An autopsy determined shed died of acute fentanyl toxicity.
Get breaking news alerts in the FREE FOX 13 Seattle app. Download for Apple iOS or Android.
Stay connected with FOX 13 News on all platforms:
DOWNLOAD: FOX 13 News and Weather Apps
WATCH: FOX 13 News Live
SUBSCRIBE: FOX 13 on YouTube
DAILY BRIEF: Sign Up For Our Newsletter
FOLLOW: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram