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Parents of New Hampshire toddler who ingested fentanyl charged with negligent homicide

LONDONDERRY, N.H. — The parents of a New Hampshire toddler who died after ingesting fentanyl are facing charges of negligent homicide and manslaughter, authorities said.

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Mark Geremia Jr., 32, of Northfield, and Shawna Cote, 29, of Tilton, were arrested Tuesday after an autopsy revealed their 21-month-old daughter, Adalynn Carol Rose Geremia, died of acute fentanyl intoxication, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported.

One witness said in an affidavit that Geremia stopped performing CPR on his unresponsive child, to smoke a cigarette.

Geremia and Cote also were charged with reckless conduct with a deadly weapon; falsifying physical evidence; receiving stolen property; conspiracy to commit falsifying physical evidence; and endangering the welfare of a child.

Geremia also was charged with three counts of possessing child sex abuse images showing his daughters asleep and naked. The images were focused on the girls’ genitals, according to a police affidavit.

Police said they are also searching for Dana Dolan, 25, according to The Associated Press.

Rockingham County Judge David Ruoff cited the “depraved nature” of the accusations brought against the couple by Assistant County Attorney Kristin Vartanian and ordered them to be held until their trial, the Union Leader reported. Geremia and Cote were also ordered to stay away from minors, including their own children. That includes a boy that Cote gave birth to a few weeks ago and a nearly 5-year-old daughter, according to The Associated Press.

Police were called to the RMZ Truck Stop in Londonderry on Nov. 16. According to a police affidavit, Dolan, a friend who was in the vehicle with the couple said Geremia had traded an ATV for heroin in Massachusetts, and that all three adults fell asleep at the truck stop. Dolan said both daughters were in the vehicle, adding that he woke up to hear Geremia exclaim that his younger daughter “was dead,” according to the AP.

Dolan said he had an opioid-overdose antidote and that he and Cote tried to give it to the toddler, the AP reported.

A day-shift patrol sergeant who was nearby performed CPR until paramedics responded to the scene, according to a statement from the Londonderry Police Department. The toddler was transported to an area hospital and was later pronounced dead, the Union Leader reported.

An autopsy performed by the state Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be acute fentanyl intoxication, the newspaper reported.

“We have two individuals who acted with complete indifference to the value of their daughter’s life at every step of the way in this matter,” Vartanian told the court. “They failed to call 911, they failed to make meaningful life-saving efforts, taking breaks for cigarette smoking, and busying themselves with disposing of evidence. Their focus was entirely on themselves and preserving themselves.”

Geremia and Cote said there were no drugs in the vehicle, according to the AP. Geremia said he did not call 911 because he didn’t know where his phone was, but according to court records, police noted his phone was ringing multiple times from his pocket as they spoke to him.

Cote told the court that she has been involved in drug treatment recovery efforts and was preparing to enter a six-month residential substance abuse program.

“I am working very hard to move forward with my life,” Cote said. ”They mean more than anything to me. If I am in here, I cannot move forward and do the things that I need to do that I have been doing since, um, the incident.”