Ohio couple criminally charged after 8-year-old son's apparent heroin overdose

A couple in Berea, Ohio, was charged with child endangerment after their 8-year-old son experienced a suspected heroin overdose, according to WKYC news.

On Jan. 11, the child's father called 911 after the boy stopped breathing and his lips turned blue. Police found needles and narcotics at the house and both parents exhibited behaviors indicative of recent drug abuse, according to the report.

Authorities took the child to Southwest General Health Center in Middleburg Heights. At the hospital, drugs were found inside a toy watch stored in the boy's sock and the child's urine tested positive for heroin. It is unclear how the heroin got into the boy's system, according to WKYC.

The boy's parents, Charles Dowdy and Danielle Simko, are being held on $150,000 bond. They are scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 22. They are not permitted to have any contact with their son.

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