Enfield Mother Charged Over Daughter's Overdose Death
Warrant alleges 12-year-old lived in cluttered room with loose pills and limited supervision before dying in March.
By Adrian Kovalenko ·
Melanie Federline, 39, faces a new criminal charge in the death of her 12-year-old daughter. Enfield police arrested Federline on Friday and she is scheduled to appear at the state Superior Court in Hartford on Monday. The court records list her charge as risk of injury.
Eve Rogers died on the morning of March 18 in the family home on the 100 block of Elm Street. The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of death was acute intoxication. The autopsy found high levels of diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl, along with the antidepressants Prozac and Wellbutrin. The medical examiner classified the manner of death as undetermined because the evidence did not point to accident, suicide, or homicide.
The arrest warrant details the living conditions in the home. It states that loose pills were found in the rooms of all three children. Open prescription bottles and accessible medications were located throughout the residence. The document describes Eve's room as containing pans with old food, a trash can overflowing with moldy items, and bowls of spoiled milk and cereal on the floor.
Police say Federline gave conflicting accounts about who controlled the household medications. The warrant notes she knew Eve had been taking pills not prescribed for her, including a sibling's Adderal, when she could not sleep. Despite these facts, the document says Federline did not manage the many prescription and over-the-counter drugs in the house.
The warrant references Enfield police records from March 11. Officers responded to a report that Eve was outside alone and had stolen an energy drink from a nearby convenience store. Federline told police the girl was having a manic episode. The warrant states she did not take the child to a hospital as directed by a therapist and did not continue to monitor her.
A stepfather, Anthony Federline, 39, was already charged with first-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child. He is held on a $1 million bond and is set to appear in Hartford court on Wednesday. Melanie Federline was held on a $250,000 bond. She told Hearst Connecticut Media that she was not aware of the allegations against her husband and was allowing the legal process to unfold.
