Coroner Jeff Lees ruled that the death of the 5-month-old baby can be considered a homicide due to the neglect of her parents. Jason Chambers, Chelsea Cardaro and their baby, Summer Chambers, were all found dead on December 22, 2016.
Lees said both Jason and Chelsea died of fentanyl overdoses about a week before their bodies were found. The baby died from dehydration and starvation about four days after her parents died.
Both parents had extremely high levels of fentanyl in their systems. Chelsea had four times more than the lethal range, while Jason had two-and-a-half times the lethal amount. Lees said they died within minutes of taking the drug.
Interim Police Chief Jeff Janciga said they don’t have any leads on who sold the drugs, but that person could face charges of drug delivery resulting in death. He hopes they educate the community so this never happens again.
“I’m hopeful for the future, hopeful this child didn’t die in vain, hopeful that we can learn something from this as a community,” said Janciga. “I’m hopeful that we never have to prosecute a parent for a tragic death of their child. A parent has a duty to care for their child. They have a duty to protect their child. If help is needed, all they need to do is ask before it’s too late.”
In just the first month of this year, the coroner said his office has investigated 16 fatal drug overdoses. Officials said fentanyl is a growing problem and playing a dangerous role in the rising number of overdose deaths.
