The aunt of a baby who died of fentanyl poisoning in Nashville, Tennessee, a few months ago was arrested in Florida, WKRN reported on Friday.
Tawona Pickens-Johnson, 46, was arrested in a city nearly 500 miles away from where the incident occurred, after law enforcement initially struggled to locate her, the report states. She is facing charges for criminally negligent homicide and child neglect.
The baby, Ivery Holmes, was one year old in March of 2023 when Metro Nashville Police Department officers found her unconscious at a home on Herman Street.
Holmes was transported to a hospital but was taken off of life support days later and died, according to the report.
Upon further investigation by the police department and Youth Services, law enforcement found that Homes was exposed to fentanyl while her aunt, Pickens-Johnson, was caring for her.
“Police said coordination between the Youth Services Division and the U.S. Marshals Task Force eventually led them to Tallahassee, Florida, where Pickens-Johnson was recently taken into custody,” according to the report.
Officials said they expect Pickens-Johnson to be returned to Nashville soon.