Oaklee Hirsch: Minnesota boy, 6, dies from fentanyl overdose after chewing on mom’s drug-tainted $1 bill
MAPLE PLAIN, MINNESOTA: A young boy from Minnesota reportedly died due to a drug overdose recently and his mother has now been charged in connection to his death. Oaklee Hirsch, 6, died on May 27, 2022, in a Maple Plain home after he chewed on a dollar bill that had a drug residue on it.
The six-year-old tragically died after he took a bite out of a dollar bill tainted with fentanyl, according to The Sun. Oaklee lived with his mother Brittany Ferrell, 29, and father Brandon Hirsch, 34, at his grandparent's house in the 5300 block of Clayton Drive, according to the report. The young boy was sleeping in the same room when Ferrell realized "something wasn't right" with him and woke Brandon, who was in the living room.
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When Brandon made his way into the bedroom, he saw his son's blue lips and believed he was overdosing. Brandon called 911 around 2.45 am and told them that their son appeared to have overdosed and explained he administered two doses of Narcan, a drug meant to revive someone overdosing. When a West Hennepin police officer arrived at the scene, he saw Ferrell and the boy's grandmother kneeling over and attempting to resuscitate him. The officer took over and tried to save the boy's life but shortly after, the medical responders pronounced him dead.
Brandon told the officers that he and Ferrell had used illicit drugs in the last 72 hours. He spotted the dollar bill near Oaklee's body and suspected it had heroin residue on it because of the "burn marks". He also believed the dollar bill belong to Ferrell because it was in her bedroom, leading to their son's death. "The dollar bill in question had burn marks on it, was missing a corner as if it had a bite mark, and was wet to the touch and flat," the criminal complaint read. Ferrell said she used fentanyl in the last 48 hours, admitting it was supposed to be heroin.
The mother said the dollar bill was on the floor next to where Oaklee had slept and he "may have gotten into a dollar bill that had narcotics residue on it."
Fentanyl can be 50 times as powerful compared to heroin. The child's grandmother told authorities her grandson was developmentally delayed and autistic, meaning he would "sometimes chew newspaper and sometimes swallow it or spit it out".
A GoFundMe set up for the young boy described Oaklee as the "most brilliant, loving, quirky, unique, energetic little caring boy. He was known for his curly beautiful locks of hair and his contagious smile and laugh."
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office disclosed that Oaklee had died from "acute fentanyl toxicity". Ferrell is now scheduled to appear in court on November 15, 2022, according to reports.