Charlotte mother charged with murder after baby’s fentanyl overdose

CHARLOTTE — A woman in Charlotte is facing a murder charge after police say her 9-month-old daughter died from a fentanyl overdose this summer.

According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Departmnet, officers got a call on July 7 for an unresponsive infant at an apartment complex on Orchard Trace Lane. The girl was taken to the hospital, but she was pronounced deceased.

Channel 9 obtained an affidavit that says the baby’s mother, Hallie Ingram, told detectives that she gave the girl a bottle and put her in a pack and play around 9 a.m. and the girl was acting normal. Ingram said she took a nap for about an hour, and when she woke up, she found the girl unresponsive.

A police report identified the young victim as Cheyenne.

Detectives learned on Aug. 11 that the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office said Cheyenne died from fentanyl toxicity.

Police didn’t say how they believe Cheyenne ingested the fentanyl.

On Monday, detectives got a warrant for Ingram in connection with the case, and she was arrested for murder and felony child abuse on Tuesday.

Jennifer Coates lost her 22-year-old son, Jaydon, to fentanyl in 2021. Now, she works with the organization Fentanyl Kills You, telling people how dangerous the drug is.

“He basically succumbed to the pills. It was one pill that he took that killed him,” Coates told Channel 9’s Tina Terry.

Coates creates posters with the faces of people killed by the drug, warning of the consequences. She hopes her story, and that of Cheyenne’s, will send a powerful message to everyone who hears.

“There isn’t a brand on someone that passes away from fentanyl. Anyone can be affected and I think we take it lightly that’s that story over there and it could be your story if we’re not careful,” Coates said.

In the growing threat of fentanyl poisoning, Narcan or naloxone can reverse opioid overdoses. Mecklenburg County offers it for free in the following locations:

Ella B. Scarborough Community Resource Center - Vending Kiosk | 430 Stitt Road
Mecklenburg County Public Health Department - Distribution Site at Registration Desk | 249 Billingsley Road
Mecklenburg County Public Health Department - Distribution Site at Registration Desk | 2845 Beatties Ford Road

24/7 Locations:

Valerie C. Woodard Community Resource Center, Entrance A (outside) - Vending Kiosk | 3205 Freedom Drive
Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, Arrest Processing Center -Vending Kiosk | 801 E 4th Street

(VIDEO >> Graphic warning: Mother sentenced after letting 18-month-old die from fentanyl exposure)