An 8-year-old Kentucky boy whose death was initially thought to be the result of an allergic reaction from strawberries instead died from fentanyl intoxication, authorities said.
Trey Harris died in mid-March one day after consuming several strawberries at a school fundraiser in Madisonville, about 50 miles south of Evansville, Indiana. That same night, Harris' parents brought him to the hospital after he began exhibiting signs of an allergic reaction.
According to police, the family later left the emergency room, but the reason remained unclear. When family members tried to wake the boy up for school the following morning, he was unresponsive.
Trey was rushed to an area hospital and pronounced dead, authorities said.
Following an autopsy, the Kentucky State Medical Examiner's Office ruled the cause of the 8-year-old's death as fentanyl intoxication and said the manner was undetermined. The boy's stepfather, Antonio Person, was subsequently charged with second-degree manslaughter, Madisonville police said.
The 8-year-old's mother, Whitney Person, was arrested on charges of second-degree manslaughter - conspiracy and aggravated trafficking a controlled substance, authorities said. Approximately two weeks before charges were announced, police arrested Antonio Person on a slate of other crimes, including possession of marijuana, drug paraphenalia - buy or possess, trafficking a controlled substance and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, police previously stated.
Those charges were approved by prosecutors after authorities performed a search warrant at the family's home and discovered a firearm, drugs and drug paraphenlia inside, according to police.
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Following Trey's death, the Hopkins County Health Department urged residents not to eat strawberries purchased at the fundraiser in question and to throw them away. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the health department explained it received results of testing conducted on the strawberries.
"Testing of the strawberries was reported as negative today by the State Epidemiologist," the post read, in part. "The state Food and Safety Branch has also reviewed the reports."
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The health department lifted the caution advisory it had implemented, saying those who froze the strawberries can safely consume them.
