A fourth-grader from northeast Ohio died of a cocaine overdose, police there said. Detectives are investigating the case as a homicide.
Marcus Lee Jr. "died from acute cocaine toxicity, and the test results were 'off the charts' according to the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office," Youngstown police Lt. Doug Bobovnyik told WFMJ.
The 9-year-old was rushed to Akron Children's Hospital from his mother's home on Dec. 26. A preliminary test showed Lee had some kind of stimulant in his system, WFMJ reported. The Mahoning County Coroner's Office just recently got the toxicology tests back.
"It appears he ingested it orally," Bobovnyik said. "There was cocaine found in his stomach."
No cocaine was found at the home when police were contacted after Lee died. Detectives have interviewed Lee's mother, her boyfriend and a family friend, according to WFMJ.
Marcus Lee Sr.
Lee's father and stepmother told WFMJ they've been suspicious of what happened to the boy during the five months since his death.
"I was angry," Marcus Lee Sr. said. "It was told to me it was a seizure or a defect, something that was unstoppable. Nobody was told the truth. I wasn't told the truth."
Youngstown police told WFMJ the mother has hired an attorney. Mahoning County Children's Services has removed two other children from the home, WFMJ reported.
