KENNEWICK — A 4-year-old girl who died late Wednesday after stopping breathing at a Kennewick motel had swallowed fentanyl pills allegedly left out in the open, according to court documents filed Thursday.
Her mother is now being held in the Benton County jail on suspicion of manslaughter.
Judy Bernice Bribiescas, 39, was reportedly staying at the Econo Lodge at 300 N. Ely St. when the children’s father dropped off their daughter and an 8-year-old son earlier on Wednesday, said the documents.
Police believe Bribiescas and the children’s father were in the bathroom of the motel room using drugs when the girl reportedly knocked on the bathroom door and asked her mother for some food. Her mother told her that she would have to wait, said the documents.
Bribiescas’ son said the girl walked around the room and then ended up on a bed, where she seemed to be feeling sick and not talking.
The girl’s brother said there were pills on the dresser and next to the bed, according to court documents. Later, police reported finding fentanyl-laced pills in the room.
When the girl was found unresponsive, her mom reportedly called 911 and her father allegedly left with a container of pills, said the documents. He has not been charged in connection with the death.
Emergency crews received a 911 call about 9:30 p.m. about a 4-year-old exposed to fentanyl. When a Kennewick police officer arrived, he tried using naloxone, but it didn’t work. The nasal spray is used to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses.
Medics also worked to revive the girl. She was taken to Trios Southridge Hospital, less than four miles away, where doctors tried to save her life.
In the process, they found two mostly intact pills, along with multiple pill fragments in her stomach. They also discovered another pill stuck in her nose.
The pill from her nose was pink and similar to what is commonly known as “Skittles” fentanyl. It’s unclear from court documents whether that pill matched the ones from her stomach.
Law enforcement officials previously have raised concerns about the brightly colored fentanyl, which are different from their more common blue color, because they fear they are more attractive to children.
The girl died about 11 p.m.
An autopsy is planned for Tuesday morning in Thurston County.
Bribiescas admitted to being in the bathroom on the phone for about 20 minutes while the children were in the motel room. She said she was on her phone but could hear the girl talking in the other room. When she came out of the bathroom, she saw the girl was unresponsive.
She denied the girl had any access to narcotics or drug paraphernalia, said the court documents. And while Bribiescas admitted to using fentanyl, she told police she didn’t use it around her three children.
Her other son is in his teens, according to a restraining order Bribiescas has to keep their father from contacting her.
While Bribiescas was talking with police, she appeared to be trying to get rid of something, said the court documents.
They later found four colored pills — two pink, one purple and one orange — each with an “M” stamped on them. The pills tested positive for fentanyl.
