A Chester County couple has been arrested for the death of a child who was exposed to illegal drugs last year, according to a spokesperson with the Chester County District Attorney's Office.
Holly Back, 40, and Mousa Hawa, 41, both of Coatesville, were arrested and are facing charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter and other related charged, the DA's office said.
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WATCH HEREChester County Detectives said that officers with the Coatesville Police Department were called to a home on the 500 block of East Lincoln Highway just after 2:30 a.m. on July 26, 2023, for a report of an 8-year-old child in cardiac arrest.
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SIGN UP When the officers responded to the home, they were greeted by Back who led them into where Hawa was performing CPR on the child, officials said.
The officers said that the child had ashen skin while his ears and mouth appeared to be blue, police said.
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Officers took over the CPR process and saw baggies scattered throughout the room with other bottles of medicine in a bag on the floor, according to the district attorney.
The child was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead about an hour later, officials said.
Investigators found that there was drug paraphernalia scattered throughout the home, according to officials.
There were three empty bags of heroin on the floor of the room where the child was found by officers, investigators said.
A shoebox had hundreds of small bags that contained blue fentanyl and heroin, according to officials. Some bags were empty or contained residue.
Cell phone records from each of the suspects showed that Back and Hawa discussed using drugs, investigators reported.
Hawa apparently told detectives that the child who was killed knew he was not allowed to touch the drugs, officials explained. The child was told the drugs were medicine and that he could only touch medicine when it was given to him.
The deceased child's blood, urine and hair were all tested, investigators said. Samples from the child came back positive for cocaine and fentanyl.
The sample of the child's hair showed that there were traces of fentanyl in his system which, investigators say, means that he had been exposed to the drug before he was found in late July.
If you have any concerns for the safety of a child, please call 911 immediately or you can call the Childline at 1-800-932-0313.
