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Mansfield father charged after daughter takes fentanyl
Investigators say a Mansfield man waited two hours before calling police after his 2-year-old daughter ingested fentanyl-laced pills. Michael Reed is charged with knowingly causing serious injury to a child.
MANSFIELD, Texas - Investigators say a Mansfield man waited two hours before calling police after his 2-year-old daughter ingested fentanyl-laced pills. His sister is also facing charges.
Navaeh Reed died two months ago. Her official cause of death is still pending, but police say she was found within reach of pills.
The girl’s father, Michael Reed, is charged with knowingly causing serious injury to a child.
Michael Reed
His sister, Jamie Popovic, is also facing charges of abandoning and endangering a child.
On Feb. 18, Mansfield police were called to a home on Towne Crossing Boulevard for a child who had gone limp. Paramedics did CPR on 2-year-old Navaeh and rushed her to the hospital.
The young girl's father told police that he had fallen asleep in the apartment and woke up to find the child limp and lying on the floor with labored breathing, according to an arrest affidavit.
Navaeh Reed (Family Photo)
Police say a search of the apartment found syringes, marijuana and other drugs, including an M30 pill about five feet from where Navaeh was found. The pill tested positive for fentanyl, according to court documents.
Investigators say Michael admitted to not immediately calling 911, telling his sister, Jamie Popovic, and his roommate not to call police because he would lose his child.
Instead, investigators say Michael Googled how to make a child throw up. A search of his phone shows he also tried to get Narcan, which is used to reverse a drug overdose, delivered on DoorDash, according to an arrest affidavit.
The roommate told detectives Nevaeh wandered into his room covered in powder around 8 p.m. He later heard commotion when Popovic was trying to wake Michael up, saying the child was unresponsive.
Jamie Popovic
Court documents say the 911 call was not made until about two hours after Nevaeh was found.
When paramedics arrived, investigators say Michael didn’t tell EMS that Nevaeh was overdosing.
Nevaeh was declared brain-dead on Feb. 28.
Stephanie Wallace says her daughter, Nevaeh, was a child filled with personality and promise.
"She didn’t know any better," she said. "She probably thought it was candy. Just makes me sad."
Wallace has this message for Michael.
"Just want to know why? Why did he wait so long? Why he didn’t call me? I’m a medical assistant. Why didn’t he call me?" she said. "Why wait? That was your baby. Why? Thats all. Why?"
Both Michael and Popovic have since bonded out of jail.