A heartbreaking video of a mother lying unconscious from an apparent drug overdose on the floor of a Family Dollar store in Lawrence, Massachusetts, was captured by an onlooker on Sunday, September 18. In the clip, a crying 2-year-old girl clad in Frozen pajamas is seen trying to revive her mom in the toy aisle. Watch the disturbing footage above.
Store clerk Nicaurys Anziani dialed 911, and paramedics were able to revive the 36-year-old from Salem, New Hampshire, with Narcan, which is used to counter the effects of an opiate overdose. Once awake, the woman “said she was just tired and dozed off,” per the Eagle Tribune.
Authorities found baggies and straws consistent with either fentanyl or heroin abuse in her bag, Lawrence Police Chief James Fitzpatrick told WBZ-TV. The woman (her name is not being released) was taken to the hospital and charged with child endangerment, per the news station.
“It’s very disturbing to see someone like this,” Fitzpatrick told WBZ-TV. “It’s obvious addiction has overtaken them, to the point of not being able to take care of their child.”
Anziani said the woman collapsed at 10:24 a.m. on Sunday morning. The toddler “was just crying and crying and crying” Anziani told the Eagle Tribune.
Following the incident, the child was taken into emergency custody by the Department of Children and Families. The mother does not have any other children.
A similar story made headlines on September 7, when East Liverpool, Ohio’s police shared chilling images of a man and woman who had allegedly overdosed in their car while a 4-year-old boy sat alert and helpless in the backseat.
“We feel it necessary to show the other side of this horrible drug. We feel we need to be a voice for the child caught up in this horrible mess,” read an update on the City of East Liverpool, Ohio, Facebook page. “This child can’t speak for himself but we are hopeful his story can convince other users to think twice about injecting this poison while having a child in their custody.”
