Share and Follow
INDIANAPOLIS — Two Indianapolis parents were arrested Wednesday after their 8-year-old child died from acute fentanyl intoxication in May 2024. According to court documents filed Friday, Lee Cooksey and Brittany Warr have both been officially charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony.
According to a news release from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers with the department’s north district responded to a home in the 3600 block of N Capitol Avenue on May 1, 2024, on a report that a child had stopped breathing.
-
Brittany Warr -
Lee Cooksey
When officers arrived at the home, they were met outside by 33-year-old Lee Cooksey who was carrying an unresponsive 8-year-old. The child was transported to an area hospital where she was eventually pronounced dead.
The release said that individuals on the scene reportedly made statements to officers that the child may have swallowed something before she became unresponsive. The Marion County Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death for the child to be acute fentanyl intoxication.
In a months-long investigation following the death, the release said that detectives used “a multitude of investigative techniques” to uncover how the 8-year-old reportedly came into contact with the drug. Arrest warrants for Cooksey, along with 35-year-old Brittany Warr, were issued on Jan. 26 on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
The release said that detectives with the department’s child abuse unit worked with the U.S. Marshals Task Force to locate Cooksey and Warr. The two were apprehended on Wednesday in the 3600 block of N Capitol Avenue.
“This was a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy,” IMPD Chief Christopher Bailey said in the release. “This little girl had her whole life ahead of her, but that future was stolen by the very people who should have protected her. I am grateful for the dedication of our Child Abuse detectives, whose relentless efforts ensured those responsible were brought to justice. I also appreciate our strong partnership with the U.S. Marshals Service, whose collaboration helps keep Indianapolis safe.”
