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Zhuri Sade Bogle: 7-month-old girl from Pennsylvania dies of fentanyl overdose after being left under grandmother's care

'To bury a loved one is not an easy task; it is a strain mentally, emotionally, and financially,' said a friend of Zhuri Sade Bogle's father

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: A 7-month-old girl died from a fentanyl overdose in her Pennsylvania home, according to the authorities' statement on Tuesday, March 14. Zhuri Sade Bogle's parents Mercedes Williams and Barington Bogle Jr found her unconscious in their Penn Hills residence while she was under her grandmother's care on January 14, Allegheny County medical examiner’s office said.

In a statement issued by the department, officials said, "When first responders arrived, they found Zhuri’s father performing CPR. The first responders took over, but at 7.05 am, she was pronounced deceased at the scene. Detectives learned Zhuri was in the care of her grandmother and grandmother’s friend the prior evening. Zhuri was already put to bed when her parents arrived home on the evening of January 13,” reported New York Post.

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Zhuri died as a result of opioid intake

The medical examiners' office confirmed that the autopsy report determined the cause of the minor's death as a result of opioid intake. Consulting with the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, investigators will be deciding on whether anyone has to be charged in connection to the death. 

'Wholly unexpected and devastating occurrence'

To help Zhuri's parents after her death, a GoFundMe was set up. A friend of the father, Shaunda McDill, wrote on the fundraiser page, "This was a wholly unexpected and devastating occurrence that forever changed the lives of Zhuri’s parents and other loved ones. To bury a loved one is not an easy task; it is a strain mentally, emotionally, and financially."

Fentanyl deaths among children under the age of 14 have increased at a faster rate compared to any other age group, according to a new report by the Families Against Fentanyl (FAF) nonprofit group. Between 2019 and 2021, there is a two-fold increase in infant fentanyl deaths according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The FAF analysis revealed that deaths tripled among toddlers between the age group of 1 and 4 years and quadrupled among children between the age group of 5 to 14 years. The CDC states that overdoses from synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, leads to the death of more than 150 people every day.