A Seattle woman was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and domestic violence reckless endangerment after her 1-year-old son died following suspected
A Seattle woman was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and domestic violence reckless endangerment after her 1-year-old son died following suspected fentanyl exposure, according to King County charging documents.
Divina Tangalan, 39, was charged in King County Superior Court in connection with the Aug. 23 death Thursday.
Prosecutors allege she left a handgun and narcotics in an unlocked location in their apartment home accessible to her 2-year-old daughter.
Seattle firefighters responded to an apartment in the 2200 block of South Grand Street after a report that a child was not breathing. The boy was declared dead at the scene, court documents say.
Tangalan told officers she had fentanyl in the home and believed her son may have accessed it, according to a Seattle police probable cause statement.
She later told detectives she used fentanyl and methamphetamine and used narcotics in the home while her children were present, the documents say.
A preliminary autopsy found fentanyl in the child’s blood and urine, with no signs of trauma, according to the probable cause statement.
The medical examiner said fluid in the lungs and brain swelling could also be consistent with sudden infant death syndrome or an overlay, the documents say.
A search of the apartment found suspected narcotics in areas accessible to children, including the bathroom and a bedroom closet, as well as a .22-caliber handgun in the bathroom, police said.
Tangalan is prohibited from possessing firearms because of prior felony convictions, according to the charging documents.
The children's father was at work during the Aug. 23 incident, according to court documents, and he told police Tangalan suffers from drug addiction and would sometimes leave the apartment to get high.
Both Tangalan and the children's father are convicted felons and cannot possess a firearm, investigators said.
Prosecutors said Tangalan remains under investigation for first-degree manslaughter in the child’s death and asked the court to set bail at $200,000. The filed charges are allegations, and Tangalan is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Tangalan remains in the King County Jail on the bail amount set by the Court, and her next court date is her arraignment on Monday, where an initial plea will be entered.
Defendants are innocent until proven guilty in court, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
