Syracuse baby who died had 23 times the amount of fentanyl that would kill an adult, report says

Syracuse, N.Y. — A Syracuse According to a medical examiner, the amount of fentanyl that killed a baby after it was ingested by him was 23 times greater than what would kill an adult.

According to court papers and prosecutors, Liam Sauve was found dead May 9th after inhaling fentanyl. His mother Elizabeth Sauve (31), and her boyfriend Quyen Huynh (38), were both charged with second-degree murder.

According to Syracuse.com’s Post-Standard, the child fatality rate was 23 times that of the reported amount.| The Post-Standard reveals that the amount of fentanyl ingested by Liam was 23 times the amount that’s fatal for an adult, let alone an 11-month-old baby.

Onondaga County Child Protect Services reported that Liam had 69 nmg per milliliter of Fentanyl in blood at the time he passed away. CPS would die if an adult ingests three nanograms per milliliter, according to the examiner.

The amount of fentanyl in Liam’s blood was “extremely high,” according to the medical examiner. Liam had to have either inhaled “copious amounts of fentanyl” or “been covered in fentanyl or in contact with it for many hours,” the medical examiner reported.

With such high amounts of fentanyl Liam most likely “went into cardiac arrest within minutes of consumption,” the medical examiner said.

The report states that law enforcement officials interviewed Sauve, Huynh, and concluded they were giving Liam Fentanyl to calm him.

Huynh was on probation at the time of Liam’s death and had tested positive for fentanyl during his addiction counseling treatment, according to the report. Sauve tested positive for Benzodiazepines two weeks before Liam’s death, when she gave birth to a baby fathered by Huynh, social workers said in the report.

Liam’s sibling, 2 weeks old at the time of Liam’s death, was placed with Elizabeth Sauve’s mother, according to the report. Social workers stated that both parents are allowed to supervise visits with the baby.

The state Office of Children and Family Services noted in its report that after the birth of Liam’s sibling and after Liam’s death social workers failed to meet all required actions for the investigations.

After the baby’s birth the social workers did not ensure Huynh and Sauve had a safe sleeping arrangement for the children, as required. According to the report, social workers observed the baby in a swing while visiting the home. This was an unsafe sleeping environment. Officials from the state said that it was not clear if the unsafe sleeping arrangement had been addressed by social workers, who did not mention it in their reports.

Local social workers failed to check on the safety of the baby 30 days after Liam’s death, as required by the state office, according to the report.

The county failed to report Liam’s death in the required time, the state said.

The report had to be completed within the deadline. According to state officials, it took 30 days. However, it was submitted on August 17, three months after Liam’s death, they said.

Also, other people named in the report alleging child abuse and neglect were involved in Liam’s death were only notified on June 6 of Liam’s death, state officials said. State officials stated that social workers must inform anyone named in a report within seven days of the report’s publication.

Syracuse.com reached county officials Wednesday for comment.

Sauve is released without bail, while her case is referred to the grand jury.

Huynh is currently being held without bail due to his past criminal record, Onondaga district attorney William Fitzpatrick stated. Huynh was previously charged with more than 20 criminal offenses. These offenses were most often committed in Florida. His previous crimes were mostly non-violent, such as burglaries.

Rylee Kirk, staff writer, covers breaking news and crime. You have a tip? A story idea? A photo? A question or comment? Contact her at 315-396 5961, via Twitter @kirk_rylee or [email protected].