Rock Springs Man Arrested in Toddler Son’s Overdose Death

A Rock Springs man was arrested this morning after his child died from an accidental overdose in October. This per a news release from the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office.

Daniel Scott James, 35, of Rock Springs was arrested earlier today at his residence without incident.

James is accused of involuntary manslaughter in his son's death.

The SCSO spokesperson, Jason Mower, said, on the morning of October 21st, deputies responded to a home north of Rock Springs for a two year old boy who was unconscious, not breathing.

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"When they arrived they found the boy's father administering CPR. The child's body was stiff and cold to the touch; he was obviously deceased" said Mower.

Despite paramedics' efforts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead on the scene.

Through the course of the investigation, the Sweetwater County Sheriff's office says they said James was taking a number of prescription medications and illicit drugs including Buprenorphine, also known as Suboxone.

At the time of the boy's death, James said he kept all his medications in a pill organizer on the microwave.

The night before the death, James said he noticed his Buprenorphine was missing.

The child's mother reported that their son had thrown up several times before bed.

While no obvious signs of trauma were discovered in the autopsy, toxicology reports revealed Buprenorphine in the child's system.

While forensic experts would not specify the number of pills the boy ingested, they said even one pill could have been lethal.

Stephanie Cassidy, the lead detective on the case said, "These investigations are never easy. A child was lost. Despite the circumstances, my deepest condolences are with the family. We've spent a lot of time and effort these last few months piecing this together and trying to bring justice to this little boy."

In Wyoming involuntary manslaughter is defined as unlawfully killing any human being without malice, involuntarily, but recklessly, and is a felony up to twenty years imprisonment.