A Minneapolis grandmother caring for 2-year-old twins was arrested after the children reportedly consumed medication from her purse, according to authorities.
Andrea Flex, 56, faces charges of child neglect or endangerment, Hennepin County Jail records show. The incident unfolded over the weekend.
On Sunday, Flex was babysitting the twins at a home on North 4th Avenue in Minneapolis when one of the girls began struggling to breathe and couldn’t wake up from a nap. Police arrived to find the child unconscious, and she was taken to a local hospital.
Doctors admitted the girl to the intensive care unit in critical condition. According to ABC affiliate KSTP, officers returned to the same home about two hours later when the other twin went “in distress.” She was also having trouble breathing and had “pinpoint” pupils.
Emergency crews administered Narcan — a brand name for naloxone, which reverses opioid overdoses — and the medication is believed to have saved the girl’s life.
Investigators focused on Flex as they worked to determine what happened. NBC affiliate KARE reported that officers found methadone in her purse, and both children later tested positive for the drug.
Methadone is a treatment medication used to help people reduce or stop opioid use, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
KSTP reported that the second twin is expected to survive, while the first child’s condition “remains grim.” Flex was released from the Hennepin County Jail on Tuesday.
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