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Background: A section of North 4th Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Google Maps). Inset: Andrea Flex (Hennepin County Sheriff”s Office).
A grandmother from Minneapolis found herself in police custody after two-year-old twins she was babysitting ingested medication from her purse, officials report.
Andrea Flex, aged 56, faces charges of child neglect or endangerment, according to records from the Hennepin County Jail. The incident unfolded over the past weekend.
On Sunday, while caring for the twins at a residence on North 4th Avenue in Minneapolis, one of the little girls began experiencing breathing difficulties and failed to wake up from her nap. The situation prompted a 911 call, and upon arrival, officers discovered the child unconscious. She was immediately transported to a nearby hospital.
The young girl was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit in critical condition. As reported by ABC affiliate KSTP in the Twin Cities, police were called back to the home roughly two hours later when the other twin showed signs of distress, including breathing issues and constricted pupils.
Emergency responders administered Narcan, also known as Naloxone, a medication designed to counteract opioid overdoses. This intervention is credited with saving the second child’s life.
Law enforcement officers tried to uncover what happened to the children, and their investigation focused on Flex. According to local NBC affiliate KARE, officers found methadone in Flex’s purse, and the kids also tested positive for the medication.
Methadone is a medication used to help people reduce or quit opioid use, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The second twin to be brought to the hospital is expected to survive, while the first child’s status “remains grim,” KSTP reported. Flex was released from the Hennepin County Jail on Tuesday.