PORT HURON, Mich. – A man was bound over for trial Friday in connection with the death of a 14-month-old girl in Port Huron last year.
Damonte Russell Rice is charged with involuntary manslaughter for handling powdered drugs inside a home where a 14-month-old girl died of fentanyl intoxication, according to Port Huron police.
Recommended Videos
He is also charged with controlled substance -- second or subsequent offense and controlled substance -- maintaining a drug house.
The manslaughter charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, officials said.
Police said they received a 911 call at 1:34 a.m. on Aug. 25, 2019, from a mother saying her child, Zai-Ahna Reddic, was not breathing. The child was in a vehicle on the way to McLaren Port Huron Hospital, officials said.
Medical officials tried to save the child, but they were unsuccessful, police said.
Investigators learned the child had been playing at a home in the 1300 block of Division Street and stopped breathing shortly after leaving the home.
Rice, 27, lived at the home and had been handling powdered drugs, according to authorities.
Autopsy results showed Zai-Ahna died from fentanyl intoxication, officials said.