7 Young Kids Hospitalized From Sleepover

Police say a child doled out sleeping pills; all are under the age of 8
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 24, 2022 12:27 PM CDT
7 Young Kids Hospitalized After Taking Sleeping Pills
Stock photo.   (Gett/Andrew Soundarajan)

Unsupervised children in a Virginia home were given sleeping pills by another child causing them to be hospitalized Wednesday evening, police said. Police in Hopewell were called to a residence around 5:30pm, where they found four children, ages 1 to 4, unresponsive, per the AP. Three more children found in another part of the home were awake but lethargic. Their ages weren't immediately known, but WTVR reports all the children were under the age of 8. Investigators said the pill bottle found didn't have a label on it. However, after consulting with doctors and questioning the 7-year-old suspected of doling out the pills, police were able to determine the medication was sleeping pills.

All seven children were taken to a hospital, and the two youngest were later transported to another hospital in serious condition. Lt. Cheyenne Casale of the Hopewell Police Department said the kids were left alone for a short period of time and that one of the kids who had prescription medication "got into it and shared with the other children here." The adult who was supervising the children left to go to a store and called 911 upon returning and finding the children. Police didn't specify the adult's relationship to the children or say if that person faced any charges.

(More sleeping pills stories.)

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