SALEM, Connecticut — It's been nearly a year since a 13-month-old baby was found unresponsive and without a pulse in a Salem home. Since then, the medical examiner has ruled her death as a homicide due to acute intoxication to fentanyl and Xylazine. Both of the baby's parents, Travis Schubel and Ricki Thomas, have been charged in connection to the case.
Thomas appeared in New London Superior Court on Monday. She and Schubel are both charged with manslaughter in the second degree, risk of injury to a minor, illegal possession of a controlled substance, and use of drug paraphernalia.
"This is a tragedy to say the least," said a district attorney involved in the case.
Throughout the proceeding, Thomas' attorney, Michael Miller, argued the bail should be lowered for his client. It was originally set at $2 million bond.
"She is a life-long Connecticut resident. She is not a flight risk. She is not a danger to the community," Miller said in court.
Ultimately, the judge did lower Thomas' bond to $750,000. She's set to appear back in court on February 27 for discussion.
During the proceeding, Miller argued that his client is not the one responsible for the baby's death. He said Thomas' co-defendant, Schubel, has admitted to having an issue with drugs, and he said all the drugs found in the home at the time the baby was found were his.
"The police reports talk about how my client's responsible because the house was a mess. Well, DCF was involved in this case, DCF had done a visit to that house. DCF had done virtual visits. None of this was reported by DCF saying the apartment was a danger to the baby," Miller said.
The prosecution argued that as the mother of the baby, Thomas is responsible for keeping her baby safe.
Police responded to their Salem home on Feb. 8, 2022 for reports of a baby that had no pulse and wasn't breathing. When they got there, court documents show investigators found the conditions of the home to be "deplorable". They stated they found food that was left out with flies on it, dozens of baggies of drugs that later tested positive for fentanyl, and an empty Narcan cartridge under the baby's pack-n-play.
The Department of Children and Family Services said they did connect with the family and were made aware of the case in August 2021. Court documents show they had an in-person visit scheduled for Feb. 9, the day after the baby was found unresponsive in the home.
Earlier this month, the Office of the Child Advocate announced they're looking into this case and other recent ones involving DCF saying, "OCA identified several case practice issues, primarily related to DCF’s assessment of risk factors and safety concerns and the management and supervision of those concerns throughout the case." The spokesperson went on to say, "Systemically, OCA has been engaged in an ongoing investigation of critical incidents involving children as well as the quality of DCF’s “safety practice,” i.e. the adequacy and reliability of the agency’s assessment and safety planning practices, particularly in higher risk cases involving very young children."
FOX61 reached back out to a spokesperson for OCA for an update on that investigation on Monday, but did not hear back.
In the meantime, Vannessa Dorantes, Commissioner for Connecticut State Department of Children and Families, said they have made some recent changes and she stands by the actions of her department.
"When tragedies like this happen, we are the first ones to peal back all the layers to determine if there's anything else we can do to partner to keep kids safe," Dorantes said.
Dorantes said they've since published some interim guideance for their staff when it comes to dealing with families and fentanyl use. They're also encouraging all their staff to download the "NORA" app, an acronym for Naloxone and Overdose Response. The app is also free for the public's use.
"To allow for our staff to have real-time access to information right on their state-issued phones," Dorantes said.
The department has also started a multi-disciplinary consult within 24 hours of families becoming known to them.
"We first did inventory of all the families that kind of fit into that category. And then kind of instituted where, the frontline social worker has somebody with subject matter expertise who can even go with them to the families to see if there's something we should be paying different attention to than what we typically would," Dorantes said.
Dorantes said about 70% of the families they work with have some type of substance use within the context of their family. When it comes to fentanyl, she said it's a game changer with how they handle the case.
"It doesn't always mean that a child is going to be removed. But if all the adults are working together with the caregiving and the community providers, with offering treatment assistance, we can collectively keep that child safe," Dorantes said.
However, Dorantes said they can't accomplish that goal without the help of the community. Last year alone, she said 65,000 called into their 24/7 careline. Some of those calls came from mandated reporters like police or teachers, others came from a bystander or family member close to the case.
Her message is if you see something, say something... and callers can always remain anonymous. All they have to do is call the Department of Children and Families (DCF) toll-free, 24 hour Child Abuse and Neglect Careline at 1 (800) 842-2288.
As for Travis Schubel, he was supposed to appear in court on Monday as well, but was moved to a later date.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.