NJ Mother Admits Responsibility For 2-year-old's Fatal Overdose

An Asbury Park woman has admitted being responsible for the death of her 2-year-old son due to a drug overdose earlier this year.

Earlier this week, 26-year-old Quanique Smith pleaded guilty to a single count of second-degree aggravated manslaughter.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office says shortly after 1:00 on the morning of Thursday, January 5th, officers with the Asbury Park Police Department responded to an apartment on the 100 block of Langford Street for a report of an unresponsive child.

There, they found a 2-year-old child who was rushed to a local hospital where, despite lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced dead less than an hour later.

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An investigation determined, "that quantities of heroin and fentanyl belonging to Smith had been left in the family’s home, within reach of the 2-year-old and his 5-year-old sibling, with the former child ingesting the drugs that directly caused his death."

Smith was arrested later that day and transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution before being indicted in late March.

Sentencing in the case has been scheduled for September 7th. At that time, Smith is expected to face a term of eight years in state prison, with 85 percent of the term to be served prior to becoming eligible for parole under New Jersey's No Early Release Act.