A Miami-Dade woman is behind bars after investigators say her toddler son died earlier this year from ingesting fentanyl that had been left in an unlocked room of their home.
Pearlandria Boujolly, 29, was taken into custody on Aug. 20 at her Miami-Dade residence by agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s South Florida State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication (S.A.F.E.) Task Force, working alongside Miami police. She now faces one count of aggravated manslaughter of a child under 18.
The case dates back to the early morning of Jan. 3, when Miami police officers and Miami Fire Rescue crews were called to the home around 3:50 a.m. after the 18-month-old boy was found unresponsive. Paramedics rushed him to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
An autopsy by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Department found roughly 11 nanograms of fentanyl along with trace amounts of cocaine in the child’s blood, according to the FDLE. Investigators say narcotics had been left in an unlocked room in the home, and the child accidentally came into contact with them. Boujolly was reportedly not home at the time.
New details from the arrest warrant paint a fuller picture of that night. Home surveillance footage allegedly shows Boujolly cleaning parts of the kitchen and living room in the hours before the child was found, then lying down near him. When investigators later searched the home, they say they found narcotics in the same unlocked room as three loaded, unsecured firearms. Warrant documents also reference video that appears to show the child ingesting a white substance.
Boujolly is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade, with bond reported between $50,000 and $55,000. Jail records also list a separate charge against her for fraudulent use of a credit card. Details on her legal representation have not been made public.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said the case fits a pattern her office has been watching closely. “It is a heartbreaking day when a child’s life is cut short in their own home due to a parent’s recklessness and dangerous drugs left within reach,” she said in a statement.
Miami Police Chief Edwin Lopez echoed that sentiment, calling the child’s death “an entirely preventable tragedy” and crediting the multi-agency task force for the arrest. “This arrest sends a clear message: there is zero tolerance for negligence that puts an innocent child’s life at risk,” Lopez said.
Authorities say the investigation is ongoing, and additional charges against Boujolly may still be filed.
