Mom guilty in infant's death after fentanyl found in sippy cup

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania -- A Pittsburgh mother now awaits sentencing after she was recently convicted in the death of her 17-month-old daughter.

Jhenea Pratt was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for putting a powerful painkiller in the infant's sippy cup.

Police say 23-year-old Jhenea called authorities in April of 2018 after finding her infant daughter, Charlette, unresponsive.

When emergency crews arrived, they performed CPR and rushed her to the children's hospital, where she later died, KDKA reports.

Authorities say the fentanyl found in Charlette's system was linked to the cup, which was on her bed at the time.

In a newly released video, the mother is heard blaming the manufacturer shortly after Charlette's death.

When a detective asked, "How'd the fentanyl get in the sippy cup, Jhenea?" she said, "I have no knowledge of how it got in my daughter's sippy cup."

The detective then asked Jhenea that if she had to guess how the painkiller got in the cup, she said, "a manufacturing issue with the 'Happy drinks?'"

According to police, Charlette had enough Fentanyl in her system to kill a large animal.