Two days after his twin brother died of a suspected drug overdose, a second 3-year-old boy also died after being exposed to deadly drugs, law enforcement officials said.
The twin toddlers were rushed to hospital last week after they were found unconscious in their Canoga Park home.
Josiah James was pronounced dead at a hospital on Thursday, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. His brother, whose name has not been released, died on Saturday, according to Officer Kevin Terzes, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.
The boy was in critical condition upon arrival at the hospital, according to police sources who were familiar with the case but were not authorized to speak publicly.
The children had just celebrated their third birthday on July 9.
Her mother, Jestice James, 22, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is being held on $2 million bail.
Los Angeles Police Department officials have declined to elaborate on the circumstances surrounding the boys’ deaths other than to say they ingested or were exposed to “an unknown substance,” according to a news release last week. The official cause of death in both cases remains under investigation.
However, police sources said the children came into contact with drugs laced with fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid. The sources said the drugs were easily accessible in parts of the children's Canoga Park home.
There has been a recent increase in cases of infant and toddler deaths caused by fentanyl as the highly addictive drug has become increasingly prevalent on the black market.
Earlier this year, a 2-year-old boy in Lancaster died after being exposed to fentanyl during a visit with his mother that had been approved by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
