Inset, left to right: Rafael Pedron Wynn and Kerri Dysart (Rockland County Sheriff's Office). Background: The area in Georgia where the couple lived with their now-deceased daughter (Google Maps).
A 30-year-old father and 28-year-old mother in Georgia are accused of killing their 2-year-old daughter after authorities say the toddler died from a drug overdose.
Rafael Pedron Wynn and Kerri Dysart were arrested and charged with one count each of second-degree murder months after the death of Nevaeh Wynn, authorities announced.
According to a press release from the Conyers Police Department, officers on May 3 responded to a report of an unresponsive child at an apartment complex on McDonough Road. First responders rushed the toddler to Piedmont Rockdale Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
During the ensuing investigation, detectives obtained and executed a search warrant at the family's residence, where they allegedly recovered evidence, including used nitrous oxide canisters and an empty container of kratom capsules, police said.
Kratom is a substance made from kratom tree leaves that can produce "both stimulant effects (in low doses) and sedative effects (in high doses), and can lead to psychotic symptoms, and psychological and physiological dependence," according to the DEA.
The detectives consulted the DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office and investigators ran a series of toxicology tests, which came back positive for both kratom and nitrous oxide, Atlanta-based CBS affiliate WSB reported.
"The medical examiner did uncover traces of kratom and nitrous oxide in the system of Nevaeh Wynn, and it was ruled a homicide," Conyers Police Lt. Kayla Hinds told WSB.
Wynn and Dysart were arrested Sept. 24, nearly four months after their daughter died. Both are being held without bond in the Rockdale County Jail.
The case has been difficult for investigators, Hinds said.
"Most of us in the criminal investigation division are parents ourselves. So this is very hard for everyone, especially any parent," Hinds told the station.
The parents are scheduled to make their first court appearance Oct. 7, records show.
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