Outagamie County mother arrested after 2-year-old’s reported fentanyl overdose
FREEDOM, Wis. (WFRV) – A 28-year-old Outagamie County woman has been arrested after authorities determined her 2-year-old child died as a result of a fentanyl overdose in January.
According to the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office, Brooke Seal of Freedom has been arrested and referred on a charge of Neglecting a Child – Consequence is Death.
Deputies say that around 9:40 a.m. on January 6, authorities responded to a home in Freedom for a report of a 2-year-old who was not breathing, the child later died at a local hospital.
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After what authorities are calling an extensive investigation, the cause of the 2-year-old’s death was determined to be a result of a fentanyl overdose.
It was noted in the release that the level of fentanyl in the child’s system was “sufficient to cause the death of a grown adult.”
The Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office has been actively pursuing this investigation over the past several weeks. This has been a shared effort among several agencies and we cannot go without thanking those groups for their prompt response and collaboration on this case.
Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office
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The assisting agencies include:
Wisconsin Department of Justice
Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group Drug Unit
Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center
Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory
Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office
Outagamie County Coroner’s Office
Outagamie County District Attorney’s Office
Outagamie County Children, Youth and Families (Child Protective Services)
Fox Valley Child Advocacy Center – Children’s Hospital Wisconsin
Seal is expected to have an initial court appearance on February 2.
Due to the ongoing investigation and pending criminal charges, no additional information is being provided.
Law enforcement officials and local substance abuse counselors said that fentanyl is a problem in Northeast Wisconsin right now.
They told Local Five News that fentanyl is cheaper than other drugs and also creates a powerful high making it appealing for drug users. Often fentanyl gets laced into or onto other drugs meaning some users don’t know that they’re taking it. You can’t taste or smell fentanyl.
Law enforcement officials tell Local Five News that just two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal. That amount would fit on the tip of a No. 2 pencil. Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that over 150 people died every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
“It literally is life or death out there right now with people who are using fentanyl,” said Stephanie Good who is a substance abuse counselor and the admissions coordinator at Apricity in Appleton.
Good said she had her own battle with addiction and is now eight years sober. She still remembers how difficult it can be to ask for help.
“People are afraid to reach out and get help for fear of judgement,” she said. “I think it’s just important to speak out, a lot of people feel very alone and I think that they’d find a lot of other people are struggling with the same issues.”
“How people who are addicted to alcohol and drugs are portrayed at times isn’t in a very positive manner,” said Jason Latva the executive director of the Jackie Nitschke Center in Green Bay.
Addiction doesn’t just hurt the drug user, their families and friends also suffer.
“Substance use disorder is truly a family disease, the ripple effect of our actions and our behaviors while under the influence and in the midst of heavy addiction, we are absolutely not the people we are when we’re not under the influence,” said Latva.
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“It not just affects that person,” said Good. “It affects society, their community as a whole, their family members. It really has a ripple effect.”
Even though it can be hard, both Latva and Good said it’s very important to reach out for help if you’re battling a substance use disorder.
For more information on Apricity and the services it offers, please click here. For more information about the Jackie Nitschke Center, please click here.
