Ezekiel Xavier Rivera idolized his father.
The two-year-old cherished to observe Raul Rivera round the home and experience within the automobile with him, stated Soluna Lora, Ezekiel’s mom.
On June 3, 2023, Lora left the little boy together with his father in Bakersfield whereas she took his older brother for a haircut. She and Rivera, who’ve three kids collectively, are separated. When she returned to drop Ermias off too, Lora stated, she noticed a bulge in Rivera’s sock. It was a roll of money and what she stated she later realized was a baggie of medication.
She demanded that Rivera let her take the kids dwelling together with her, however he refused. She by no means noticed Ezekiel alive once more.
Two days later, the toddler was useless from acute fentanyl toxicity; Ermias — who was 3 — had examined constructive for the drug. Rivera now faces a first-degree homicide cost in reference to one son’s dying and a felony depend of kid cruelty, accused of exposing his different son.
A member of the family holds a photograph of 2-year-old Ezekiel Rivera, who died in 2023 from a fentanyl overdose, on June 5, 2024, in Bakersfield.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Instances)
“They didn’t solely lose their brother, they misplaced their father as effectively,” Lora stated of Ermias, now 5, and his sister, EvaRose, 7. “They cherished being with him. … Ezekiel cherished [Rivera] so, a lot.”
Because the fentanyl disaster ravages communities throughout the nation, toddlers and infants more and more have gotten unsuspecting victims of an opioid that’s 50 instances stronger than heroin. Adults make up the huge variety of fentanyl-related deaths, however public well being specialists say they’re alarmed that extra kids under the age of 5 are dying or arriving in emergency rooms testing constructive for the drug.
The variety of drug overdoses nationwide has fallen for the primary time in years, however the incidences of youngsters overdosing has surged, docs say, as they’re uncovered to opioids and drug paraphernalia at dwelling or by unintended ingestion.
Though West Virginia has the best fentanyl-related dying fee, California has probably the most deaths general, with 6,473 in 2022. Officers nationwide are struggling to provide you with options to forestall younger kids from dying.
“In case you have these kids which might be left in chaotic properties, in properties which have … medicine round, that simply will increase the danger exponentially, notably for these little weak children that discover their world by placing all the things of their mouths,” stated Dr. Emily Rose, co-author of a research about recognizing and treating pediatric and adolescent opioid overdoses.
America’s Poison Facilities, which represents 55 accredited poison management facilities within the U.S., studies a dramatic improve in fentanyl publicity in younger kids nationwide. In 2016, the facilities obtained 10 studies of fentanyl publicity in kids beneath age 6. That quantity was 539 in 2023.
Soluna Lora and her kids console one another June 5, 2024, in Bakersfield after they unveiled the headstone of their late son and brother, 2-year-old Ezekiel Rivera, who died from a fentanyl overdose in 2023.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Instances)
Though fentanyl may be prescribed by docs in capsule or patch kind, illegally it sometimes is smoked, injected or discovered laced in different medicine as a white powder.
Preliminary knowledge from the California Division of Public Well being present 11 fentanyl-related deaths occurred within the state in kids youthful than 5 years previous in the course of the first three quarters of 2023, the newest statistics obtainable. There have been 10 deaths for all of 2022 and 6 fentanyl-related deaths in 2021.
In Kern County, the place Ezekiel died, the speed of fentanyl-related deaths is larger than the 2022 state common: California had a fee of 0.77 deaths per 100,000 residents, whereas Kern County had 1.4 deaths, in keeping with the county’s annual youngster dying report.
Brynn Carrigan, the county’s public well being director, stated she expects the variety of 5-year-olds getting sick or dying from fentanyl to be even larger within the coming report, which shall be launched in October.
“I’ve an concept that there’s going to seemingly be a few of our a lot youthful kids which might be impacted by fentanyl on this subsequent report,” Carrigan stated. “They’re fully harmless victims. I imply, you possibly can’t educate a 2-year-old to not contact fentanyl that perhaps their mother or father has left mendacity round. It turns into a really tough subject to resolve.”
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Lora stated she knew Ezekiel was going to be particular from the second he was born. As she drove herself to the hospital, he simply couldn’t wait. She gave start alone within the automobile.
Ezekiel cherished to play within the mud and spend time outside together with his siblings. He wasn’t sufficiently old to play a sport, however she at all times pictured him in a baseball uniform. She referred to as him her “little caveman.” He had lengthy brown hair and ran round bare as a result of he didn’t like sporting garments. He cherished the “Toy Story” films and the character Buzz Lightyear.
The house the place Soluna Lora’s youngster died from a fentanyl overdose in Bakersfield in 2023 is proven June 5, 2024.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Instances)
Lora stated she was with Rivera for seven years, and their relationship skilled tense moments. They lastly separated and break up time with their kids by verbal settlement. Lora lived together with her sister, and Rivera lived at his mother and father’ dwelling on a quiet road on the east facet of Bakersfield.
It was a scorching Saturday afternoon when Lora met Rivera in his driveway. She noticed a bulge in his sock and demanded to know what it was. He informed her it was cash, she stated, however she noticed a baggie of medication fall out.
Lora grew to become incensed and demanded that her sons go dwelling together with her. Rivera refused and went inside. Rivera’s mom referred to as the Kern County Sheriff’s Division due to their loud arguing. Lora informed the 2 deputies who responded that Rivera had medicine in his possession and that her boys had been in the home. The deputies, Lora stated, declined to go looking the house or get the kids out for her.
“I felt like they simply didn’t wish to hear me,” she stated.
Humberto Guizar, Lora’s legal professional, stated authorities “had an obligation proper there — whether or not they knew there was medicine or not — to let her take her youngster away. However by not letting her take her youngster away, they prompted the dying of Ezekiel.”
The Kern County Sheriff’s Division and county legal professional declined to remark, citing pending litigation.
Soluna Lora, alongside together with her household and associates, launch balloons June 5, 2024, at a headstone unveiling ceremony in Bakersfield for Lora’s youngster who died from a fentanyl overdose.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Instances)
Ezekiel and Ermias remained at their father’s till June 5, 2023, when authorities responded to a name of a toddler who had overdosed, in keeping with a possible trigger declaration in Rivera’s felony case. It was first reported by the Bakersfield Californian.
The decision got here in about 11 p.m. By the point legislation enforcement arrived, Rivera was gone, Kern County detectives stated.
A surveillance system inside the house captured the final moments of Ezekiel’s life.
At 1:41 a.m., in keeping with the possible trigger declaration, the little boy was seen getting into Rivera’s room. At 3:50 p.m., Rivera got here out of the room carrying Ezekiel’s physique, which seems lifeless, earlier than returning him to the room.
Ezekiel’s grandfather discovered the boy’s physique about seven hours later, in keeping with the declaration.
Inside Rivera’s room, Kern County detectives discovered two pipes used for smoking narcotics. They photographed residue on a “low standing piece of furnishings.”
Rivera was arrested Aug. 3 on an unrelated warrant. He admitted to detectives that he had used fentanyl within the room the place Ezekiel died, snorting it off the furnishings detectives had photographed. Rivera informed detectives that he discovered Ezekiel unresponsive at the least one or two hours earlier than he carried the 2-year-old out of the room. He stated he was scared and didn’t imagine calling for medical assist would have helped his son.
Rivera, 24, acknowledged that he was “conscious of the risks of fentanyl and the potential for overdose,” in keeping with the declaration.
Lora stated she received a name from one in every of Rivera’s neighbors and realized Ezekiel had overdosed. She raced over to the home.
Then she noticed Ezekiel come out in a physique bag.
Soluna Lora takes a second June 5, 2024, after a headstone unveiling ceremony in Bakersfield for her youngster who died from a fentanyl overdose.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Instances)
She cradled Ermias — whose eyes, she stated, had been crimson and puffy. She ultimately took him to the hospital, the place he examined constructive for fentanyl.
Lora is suing Kern County and its Sheriff’s Division, saying they failed to guard Ezekiel when she begged to get her boys out of Rivera’s dwelling.
“If they’d have simply sat there and listened to a crying mom … I might nonetheless have my son,” Lora stated.
In January, the Kern County district legal professional’s workplace charged Rivera with one felony depend of first-degree homicide and one felony depend of willful youngster cruelty. He has pleaded not responsible and is being held on $1 million bail.
His household declined to remark. Rivera’s lawyer didn’t return a request for remark.
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A research revealed in March within the Journal of the American School of Emergency Physicians Open acknowledged the current will increase in pediatric and adolescent opioid fatalities attributable to “unintended ingestions, prescription misuse, and family publicity.”
“Traditionally, opioid overdose has been related to adults, however traits present an rising incidence amongst pediatric sufferers,” the research says. “Opioids are the commonest explanation for deadly poisonings in younger kids and symbolize a major public well being problem.”
Rose is a co-author of the research and an affiliate professor of medical emergency drugs on the USC Keck Faculty of Drugs.
The drug decreases the power to breathe, Rose stated. An grownup can develop into hypoxic in a matter of minutes, however for a kid, it may occur in lower than one. Naloxone, which may reverse an opioid overdose, have to be administered rapidly.
Within the final 5 years, she stated, she’s seen extra younger kids coming into the hospital with fentanyl overdoses. The youngest affected person she handled who examined constructive for fentanyl was 2 months previous.
A photograph of 2-year-old Ezekiel Rivera, who died from a fentanyl overdose. He cherished the “Toy Story” films and the character Buzz Lightyear.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Instances)
“It’s our responsibility as a society to guard probably the most weak group of us,” she stated. “It’s completely stunning and horrifying.”
A invoice authored by state Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) asks the California Division of Public Well being to observe traits of fentanyl-related deaths amongst these ages 5 and youthful and develop steerage to distribute info to native well being departments on how you can defend kids from fentanyl publicity.
SB 908, Cortese stated, would permit for a multiagency method — similar to these charged with household companies and youngster welfare — on how you can navigate conditions similar to household reunification when a mother or father has a historical past of substance abuse. The invoice has handed within the state Senate and at present awaits a fiscal evaluate.
Cortese stated in an interview that the fentanyl overdose dying of 3-month-old Phoenix Castro pushed him to introduce the invoice.
Phoenix and her household lived in San Jose. She died Might 13, 2023, from methamphetamine and fentanyl whereas in her father’s care, in keeping with the Santa Clara County district legal professional’s workplace. In courtroom, prosecutors stated the crime lab discovered fentanyl on the toddler’s onesie, together with on the snaps, in keeping with the Bay Space Information Group.
The house she lived in was “plagued by opioids,” the district legal professional’s workplace stated. A child bottle was discovered subsequent to glass pipes.
Her father, David Anthony Castro, is dealing with a felony depend of kid endangerment with a particular allegation of inflicting the toddler’s dying and a misdemeanor depend of possession of a managed substance, stated Deputy Dist. Atty. Maria Gershenovich. Castro has pleaded not responsible.
In November, the Santa Clara County district legal professional’s workplace charged two mother and father with homicide after their 18-month-old daughter Winter died from ingesting fentanyl and methamphetamine. The county coroner’s workplace discovered the toddler’s “fentanyl blood focus” to be greater than 14 instances the deadly quantity.
Extra just lately, 1-year-old Justin Bulley died in February from the “results of fentanyl” whereas in custody of the Los Angeles County youngster welfare system, throughout an permitted go to together with his mom, in keeping with Justin’s father.
In keeping with the medical expert’s investigation, there have been “a number of variations” as to what occurred, however Justin’s mom stated she’d been consuming alcohol, and Justin’s grandfather had been smoking fentanyl. The grandfather informed officers that the kid had an “interplay with fentanyl in some unspecified time in the future.”
Cortese stated “there’s a clock ticking in my head,” insisting that officers act quick.
“Regardless of the state can do to additional information counties on how you can keep away from the incidences of infants and toddlers exhibiting up in mortuaries over substance abuse publicity,” he stated, “the state has to do.”
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On June 5, a yr after his dying, Ezekiel’s household gathered on the Hillcrest Memorial Park cemetery in Bakersfield for the revealing of his headstone. He was buried beside his 37-year-old uncle, who died earlier than he was born.
Paper pinwheels had been unmoving within the scorching, nonetheless afternoon. Pictures of Ezekiel adorned a tower of white balloons. Members of the family and associates wore shirts memorializing the little boy. After her son’s dying, Lora had a portrait of him tattooed on her thigh.
She crouched beside EvaRose and Ermias as the 2 pulled away a blanket, revealing a black headstone with Ezekiel’s title and picture. Gasps and sobs rang out from the small crowd.
The picture on the gravestone is one in every of Lora’s favorites. She remembers, she stated, giving Ezekiel a easy instruction earlier than snapping his image: Blow me a kiss.
And there he’s, etched in stone, pursing his lips to make his mom smile.
