Sheriff: 17-Month-Old Died of Fentanyl in Orient; Mother Still Wanted, Grandmother Held on $250,000 Bond

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The Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office on Monday released its account of the death of a 17-month-old girl in Orient, saying an autopsy found a fatal amount of fentanyl in the child and that her mother, who is charged in the death, is still wanted.

A note on our coverage: the sheriff’s office released this statement after our initial coverage of the case was published. That story was based on the criminal complaints filed in Circleville Municipal Court, which were the only public records available at the time. The timeline below comes from the sheriff’s office.

According to Sheriff Matthew O. Hafey, deputies and Scioto Township EMS were dispatched at 11:14 a.m. on Tuesday, October 13, to 7809 High Street, Unit #3 in Orient, on a report of a one-year-old girl who was not breathing.

EMS arrived first, started CPR, and took the child to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. Deputies arrived and spoke with the child’s mother, 30-year-old Brittany M. Stroud, who was at the home. The sheriff’s office was notified at 11:56 a.m. that the child, who was 17 months old, had died at the hospital.

Detectives learned through Franklin County Children Services and the National Youth Advocate Program that, under a court order out of Franklin County, the child was supposed to be in the custody of 52-year-old Tammy M. Stroud, and Brittany Stroud was not to have unsupervised visitation with her. Tammy Stroud is Brittany Stroud’s mother.

An autopsy performed October 14 at the Franklin County Coroner’s Office found a fatal amount of fentanyl in the child, according to the sheriff’s office. After the autopsy, detectives executed a search warrant at the Orient home and seized evidence. The sheriff’s office says several other search warrants have been executed in the case, and detectives have been working with the Columbus Police Department.

On Friday, October 16, Detective Sergeant Robert Dauberman filed charges against both women. Brittany Stroud is charged with involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony; endangering children, a third-degree felony; and possession of a controlled substance, a fifth-degree felony. Tammy Stroud is charged with complicity counts on the same three charges. Arrest warrants were issued for both.

Tammy Stroud turned herself in on the warrant on Sunday evening, October 18. She was arraigned Monday in Circleville Municipal Court, where her bond was set at $250,000, and she remains in the Pickaway County Jail.

Brittany Stroud’s warrant is still outstanding. The sheriff’s office says she is known to frequent the Franklin County and Columbus area. Anyone with information about where she is can contact Sergeant Robert Dauberman at 740-420-5752 or rdauberman@pickawaysheriff.gov.

Charges are allegations, and both women are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

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