1 min read

BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) – A Weymouth couple were arrested Monday and charged in the drug overdose death of their 4-year-old daughter, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz announced.

Michael Riley, 34, and his wife, Carolyn Riley, 32, face first degree murder charges for what prosecutors call an “intentional overdose” of their 4-year-old daughter, Rebecca Riley.

In December, police officers responded to the couple’s former home in Hull where they found Rebecca Riley dead on the floor in the master bedroom.

An autopsy found the cause of death as a lethal combination of several prescriptions drugs, including a fatal dose of Clonidine, which Rebecca Riley had been taking for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the district attorney’s office said.

The coroner’s report also found Valproic Acid, also known as Depakote, Dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant in over-the-counter medicines, and the antihistamine, Chlorpheniramine, in Rebecca Riley’s system.

She also had been prescribed Depakote and Seroquel to treat bipolar disorder, Cruz’s office said. A psychiatrist diagnosed Rebecca Riley with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder when she was 2 years old.

Bridget Norton Middleton, a spokeswoman for Cruz, said she did not know if the Rileys had hired a lawyer.

No telephone listing could immediately be found for the Rileys.

Comments are no longer available on this story