Clairton father arrested after 1-year-old daughter nearly dies overdosing on veterinary tranquilizer xylazine
WALL, Pa. (KDKA) -- A Clairton man was arrested after police said his 1-year-old daughter nearly died from overdosing on fentanyl and the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine.
Jeffrey Lee Carter was arrested Monday on multiple counts of aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children, according to court paperwork.
The criminal complaint says the 1-year-old girl was taken to UPMC Children's Hospital on April 16 in critical condition with overdose symptoms. She was given Narcan and admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. Doctors said her condition was listed as near fatal.
Her drug test results were positive for xylazine and fentanyl, police said.
The girl's mother told police she was in the bathroom when her daughter came in and wanted to be held. While she was in her mom's arms, police said the girl went limp and became unresponsive.
The mom told police that the girl's father, Jeffrey Carter, has a history of substance abuse, and while he doesn't live with her, he does frequently stay over. She said he was in the home over the weekend and usually sleeps on the couch.
Police said when they interviewed Carter, he said he'd been clean since 2022 and was in treatment. But when police later searched the mom's house on Pennsylvania Avenue in Wall Borough, they said they found three cut red straws -- one under a couch pillow, another under the living room coffee table and a third behind a dresser in the master bedroom.
When CYF talked to Carter, the criminal complaint said he admitted that he's not in treatment and said the girl's mom didn't know he was using drugs. He admitted to using xylazine, or "tranq," police said.
Last April, the White House named xylazine an "emerging threat" when it's mixed with fentanyl, clearing the way for more efforts to stop the spread of the drug. Pennsylvania has temporarily scheduled xylazine as a controlled substance.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, xylazine contributed to 90 overdose deaths in the state in 2017, but in 2021, it contributed to 575 -- an increase of over 600% in just five years.
The FDA says xylazine is not safe for humans to use. It may result in skin ulcers and abscesses that can lead to amputation, and symptoms of xylazine aren't directly stopped by Narcan like most drugs involved in overdoses.
Chris Hoffman will have more on this story starting on KDKA-TV Evening News at 5. Stay with KDKA-TV and KDKA.com for updates.