A Las Vegas father is facing a murder charge after his 3-year-old son died of apparent fentanyl exposure in a home filled with drugs.
“On March 14, Metro police responded to a home for a report of an unresponsive child,” KLAS reported. “…Paramedics brought Jayden [Greene] to a hospital where a doctor pronounced him deceased.”
His father, 42-year-old Barron Greene, is facing a second-degree murder charge, according to the report.
Police said they found a blue pill near a puddle of vomit inside the home. Police also said they found cocaine, baggies, and scales “in plain view” in the home, the report continues.
After obtaining a search warrant for the home, police found “numerous bags of blue pills” identical to the “Perc 30” pills containing fentanyl seen around the area, the report says. “Police also found more than $2,200 in cash, more than a pound of cocaine, nearly a pound of methamphetamine, a small amount of heroin and miscellaneous other pills.”
The toddler’s mother told police she had arrived at the house to get Jayden and another child when she noticed her son was not breathing, the report states, citing case documents. Jayden’s mother reportedly told police in an interview that Greene “always has his drugs in the house,” and that she had tried to gain full custody of the children for that reason.
The report continues:
While speaking with officers, Greene reportedly said, “I don’t have no [expletive] pills, I was not aware that he ate that [expletive] obviously.'” Later in the interview, Greene reportedly said, “Just charge me with neglect I killed my [expletive] baby dude,” according to police.
Greene is additionally facing several drug charges and two counts of child abuse and neglect, according to the report.
Greene was unable to appear for the first time in court on March 15 “due to medical reasons,” according to his court docket. Judge Daniel Westmeyer denied the accused bail.
At a hearing last week, prosecutors added the second-degree murder charge, and Judge Nadia Wood set the bail at $100,000, according to the report.
If Greene manages to post bond there will be a source hearing, per the Wood’s orders, as well as conditions if he does so and is released. He would be forbidden “any contact with children” and required to wear an ankle monitor.
The Clark County coroner’s office has not officially released the child’s cause and manner of death. Greene’s attorney said he believes the evidence will show a different situation than what prosecutors are alleging, according to the article.
“Eight children under the age of 18 died from drug overdoses involving fentanyl in Clark County in 2022, the latest year with data available, according to the Southern Nevada Health District,” per the report. “In all, 236 people died from overdoses involving fentanyl in the county that year. In 2023, 302 people died from overdoses involving fentanyl in Clark County — a 28 percent increase from 2022.”
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