Pittsburg County couple charged with murder after investigators say baby died from drug use

A Pittsburg County couple is charged with first-degree murder after their four-month-old child died last year.

Investigators believe that Vanessa Nelson and Julian Glenn's baby died from contact with medication.

According to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, an autopsy revealed that the baby died from the vaccine dosage of meth and fentanyl.

The couple is also accused of drug trafficking.

According to OBN, the number of deaths caused by fentanyl has increased in recent years.

“In 2023, there were about 750 fentanyl overdose deaths, and nearly half of those involved fentanyl combined with methamphetamine,” said Mark Woodward, a spokesman for OBN. “Over the last 10 years, I think we've seen a very alarming increase in the number of overdoses among children, and many of those have been fatal.”

The office of Pittsburg County District Attorney Chuck Sullivan is prosecuting the case and says fentanyl is a major problem throughout the county.

“In general, the fentanyl concentration in the cases we observe is exploding,” Sullivan said.

OBN says it is concerned about the number of children in Oklahoma affected by the drug.

“All it takes is a small, almost invisible particle that can be left on a coffee table or in the carpet. When a child touches it, they inhale the particles and before they know it, they have an extreme, possibly even fatal, overdose,” Woodward said.