Inset: Brionce Parks (Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office). Background: The 3400 block of Queen City Drive in Charlotte, North Carolina (Google Maps).
A woman in Charlotte, North Carolina, is accused of exposing her 1-year-old daughter to drugs, leading to the child's overdose and death.
Brionce Parks, 26, has been charged with child abuse and exposing a child to a controlled substance, both felonies. The death investigation began just after Christmas Day concluded.
At about 1:20 a.m. on Friday, officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded to a call for help at a motel on the 3400 block of Queen City Drive in the city. When they entered the Studios & Suites 4 Less motel room, they found a 1-year-old girl "not breathing," according to a press release.
The child, later identified as Kamelah Doris Michilena, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Detectives began investigating what happened and guest at the motel who said she was close to the child's family claimed the child's death may have been the result of an overdose, according to local ABC affiliate WSOC.
The investigation continued, and police reportedly uncovered evidence of crack cocaine and fentanyl.
As it turns out, Kamelah was exposed to both drugs, and those drugs caused her death, according to an arrest warrant reviewed by Law&Crime. It is unclear how exactly the child came into contact with the narcotics in question.
Parks was identified as the child's mother — and then the suspect in her death, the police department said.
The defendant was living at the motel with her daughter at the time, but authorities maintain she was "reckless" in her parenting and allowed the child's death to occur.
The suspect was interviewed and arrested later on Friday.
Details of the case are limited as the investigation continues.
Parks is being held under a $1 million bond; she is next scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 15, 2026.
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