St. Cloud Mother Sentenced to Probation in Tragic Toddler Fentanyl Death Case

(KNSI) – A St. Cloud woman who pled guilty to second-degree manslaughter after her child ingested fentanyl and died has been sentenced.

Jamacy Jamona Janice Johnson and her boyfriend arrived at CentraCare – St. Cloud Hospital on April 25th, 2022, saying the two-year-old child had ingested a Benadryl tablet, became sleepy, and stopped breathing. The child was placed on life support, and an initial toxicology screen showed no trace of Benadryl.

The next morning, Johnson and the man left the hospital, saying they would return, but they never did. Hospital staff called the police to say the child had suffered cardiac arrest and brain damage and was unresponsive and not expected to survive.

Officers say they went to the apartment where the 25-year-old lived to conduct a welfare check on a five-year-old and found they both had outstanding warrants for their arrest. They were both taken into custody, and the five-year-old was reportedly placed in the care of another family member.

Officers executed a search warrant at the apartment and allegedly found a plastic bag with two blue pills marked with an M on one side and a 30 on the other. Officers say the pills commonly contain a deadly amount of fentanyl. They were lying on a desk “accessible to a toddler.” They also found what appeared to be powder and a rolled-up dollar bill, cards used to assist in crushing up pills, and small pieces of foil commonly used to ingest fentanyl. According to the criminal complaint, tests concluded that the pills did contain fentanyl.

A “cell phone extraction” was completed on April 27th and allegedly showed communication from Johnson and another number lining up fentanyl purchases on several occasions in the days leading up to April 25th. It also showed an internet search for “baby pill overdose,” “unresponsive child took pills,” and “child unresponsive CPR.” Time stamps for the searches were done at around 9:35 p.m. and 9:44 p.m., but they didn’t call for the rideshare until 10:42 p.m. and arrived at the hospital at 10:53 p.m. Investigators also say they found pictures and videos on the phone taken just before 5:00 a.m. April 26th of Johnson smoking something off a piece of tinfoil while in a St. Cloud Hospital bathroom.

The child died on April 27th. Blood samples taken from the baby at the hospital before any drugs were administered by medical staff showed the presence of fentanyl. A toxicology screen conducted by the medical examiner as part of an autopsy and returned several weeks later showed the cause and manner of death as accidental fentanyl toxicity.

Johnson pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in October. She was sentenced on Thursday by Stearns County District Court Judge William Cashman to four years in prison stayed. That means Johnson won’t serve any time unless she violates the terms of her five-year probation. She was also given credit for 169 days in jail.

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