A 5-year-old Bronx boy who died suddenly in his Bronx apartment is believed to have ingested his father’s methadone before the little boy was found unconscious and foaming at the mouth in his bed.
Deneil Timberlake’s dad called 911 just before 3:35 a.m. Sunday after he found his young son unconscious and unresponsive in their apartment on Bassford Ave. near E. 182nd St. in Belmont, police said.
“We respond to the scene where we find EMS valiantly trying to revive this child [and] giving him CPR,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing Wednesday.
Deneil’s father, 42-year-old Daryl Timberlake, later told police the little boy fell ill Saturday evening.
“He tried to eat cereal and ended up vomiting,” Kenny said of Deneil. “[He’s] very lethargic, he wouldn’t play with his siblings, wouldn’t watch TV.”
Deneil went to bed around 9:30 p.m., falling asleep on a mattress on the apartment floor between his dad and a 27-year-old cousin, according to Kenny.
Around 3 a.m., Daryl Timberlake began screaming as he tried to wake up Deneil, who would later be pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital.
On Monday, hospital staff notified police after a rapid toxicology screening found methadone — a synthetic opioid primarily used for pain management or opioid addiction treatment — in Deneil’s system.
Police executing a search warrant at the home recovered several empty baggies containing some residue; it was still being tested by Sunday night. Cops also recovered Narcan, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose, and discovered that Daryl Timberlake takes methadone, according to Kenny.
After Deneil’s death, his 11-year-old sister and 12-year-old brother were removed from the home and are staying with a grandparent.
The family has a “significant” history with the Administration for Children’s Services, Kenny said, noting nine investigations — including educational neglect and inadequate guardianship, among others.
Daryl Timberlake was not immediately charged with a crime; Kenny noted police are still investigating the tragic death.
